The    CAMBRO- 
AHERICAN  PULPIT 

Sv  Re^'  VyrnwyJ^organ 


tihxary  of ^he  Cheolcjical  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON    •    NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

The  Estate  of 
Edward  H,  Roberts 

BV  4241  .M6  1898 

Morgan,  John  Vyrnwy,  1860- 

The  Cambro-American  pulpit 


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The 

Cambro  -American 
Pulpit 


Rev.  VYRNWY   MORGAN 


AUTHOR    OF 


The  Life  and  Works  of  Kilsby  Jones 

...and  .. 

Unitarianism  and  Evangelicalism 


jfunft  Si  Timagnalls  Company 

New  York  and  London 
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DEDICATION. 


TO    MY    WIFE. 


My  first  step  toward  authorship  was  chiefly  clue  to 
your  confidence  in  me.  The  success  of  my  first  lit- 
erary undertaking  (a  biography  of  Kilsby  Jones)  may 
be  attributed  to  the  popularity  and  eccentricity  of  my 
hero.  At  any  rate,  after  reading  the  work,  the  Rev. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  D.D.,  Brooklyn,  kindly  sent  me 
the  following  letter  : 

Brooklyn,  June  13th,  1898. 
Dear  Brother  Morgan: 

Many  thanks  for  the  racy  and  interesting  biography 
of  Rev,  Kilsby  Jones.  He  was  a  unique  and  noble 
character.     You  cannot  afford  to  give  away  such  good 

books ;  so  please  accept  this for  a  book  worth 

many  dollars.    In  haste. 

Your  most  fraternally, 

Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

It  has  been  my  desire  for  some  time  to  publish  a 
volume  of  sermons  by  Welsh- American  divines.  In 
this  undertaking  I  have  had  the  sympathy  of  our  best 


VI  DEDICATION. 

men  and  of  an  eminent  firm  of  publishers.  My  object 
has  been  to  give  not  simply  the  discourses  of  our 
ablest  and  brightest  thinkers,  but  to  present  the  pub- 
lic with  a  fair  representation  of  all  sides  of  the 
Cambro- American  pulpit,  and  it  is  the  judgment  of 
those  whose  confidence  I  enjoy  that  I  have  met  with 
some  measure  of  success.  No  nation  since  the  Apos- 
tolic age  has  produced  a  stronger  race  of  preachers 
than  the  Principality  of  Wales.  In  thought,  style, 
and  utterance,  Welsh  preachers  stand  alone.  The 
men  who  made  the  country  famous  were  men  of  dra- 
matic genius,  subtle  analytical  power,  and  unusual 
oratorical  ability;  they  were  j)erfect  artists  in  the 
presentation  of  their  themes.  Fears,  however,  have 
been  expressed  that  in  an  age  like  the  present,  the 
temper  of  which  is  toward  scientific  and  philosophical 
studies,  and  in  days  when  scholasticism  is  in  danger 
of  absorbing  the  whole  mental  energy  of  the  ministry, 
the  Welsh  pulpit  would  fall  into  the  background. 
It  has  also  been  thought  that  in  the  United  States, 
where  the  tendency  is  toward  the  Americanization  of 
everything,  Welsh  preaching,  which  is  so  intense- 
ly Biblical,  would  lose  some  of  its  historical  peculiar- 
ities. This  volume  is  an  honest  attempt  to  show  how 
it  has  stood  the  test  and  what  is  its  present  posi- 
tion. These  discourses  are  from  men  of  every  grade, 
and  they  cover  a  great  variety  of  subjects.  They 
show  a  deep  appreciation  of  the  tendency  of  our  best 


DEDICATION.  Vll 

modern  thought,  while  retaining  the  old  spirituality 
which  made  the  Welsh  pulpit  such  a  power.  There 
is  such  originality  and  breadth  of  thought,  such 
charming  ease  and  vivacity  of  style  about  these  utter- 
ances that  they  afford  an  illustration  of  the  sustained 
industry  of  the  laborious  student.  They  may  be  taken 
as  a  fair  criterion  of  the  intellectual,  theological,  and 
scriptural  status  of  Welsh  thought  in  the  American 
pulpit.  Though  the  sole  burden  of  selecting  repre- 
sentatives has  devolved  upon  myself,  yet  sympathetic 
friends  have,  from  time  to  time,  aided  me  with  sug- 
gestions and  corrections,  without  which  the  imperfec- 
tions would  be  greater  than  they  are. 

I  present  this  volume  to  the  kind  consideration  of 
my  fellow-countrymen  and  of  the  American  people  in 
the  hope  that,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  they  may 
be  productive  of  good.  In  conclusion,  I  desire  to 
dedicate  the  same  to  you,  my  wife,  trusting  that,  in 
your  present  affliction,  the  assurance  that  your  un- 
wearied devotion  has  been  a  great  inspiration  to  me 
may  bring  joy  and  comfort  to  your  soul. 

Vybnwy  JMokgan. 
Januaky,  1899. 


INTRODUCTION. 


By  Eev.  Theodore  L.  Cuylek,  D.  D. 

Next  to  his  Bible  and  his  Lord  and  Savior,  there 
is  nothing  that  a  true  Welshman  loves  so  intensely  as 
the  glorious  land  of  his  forefathers.  The  very  name 
of  Wales  is  graven  on  his  heart.  The  crystal  streams 
that  flow  through  her  beautiful  valleys  are  like  his 
life-blood,  and  the  cool  breezes  that  blow  down  the 
sides  of  Cader  Idris  and  from  the  peak  of  majestic 
Snowdon  seem  ever  to  be  fanning  his  cheeks  in  this 
the  land  of  his  adoption.  While  he  is  a  loyal  Amer- 
ican, he  never  cuts  the  cord  that  binds  him  to  the 
beloved  old  principality. 

While  introducing  this  excellent  volume  of  dis- 
courses to  its  host  of  readers,  I  may  be  allowed  to 
claim  kindred  with  them;  for  my  ancestors  on  both 
sides  of  the  house— the  "  Ledyards"  and  the  "  Lewises" 
— were  Welsh  to  the  backbone.  I  have  always  con- 
tended that  there  is  more  evangelical  religion  to  the 
square  mile  in  Wales  than  in  any  other  land  in  Europe. 
It  is  the  land  of  Christian  homes  and  of  clean,  honest 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

living.  When  walking  through  the  streets  of  Dolgelly 
and  other  beautiful  villages,  I  saw  the  word  "  Temper- 
ance" inscribed  on  more  signs  than  in  the  towns  of 
any  country  I  have  ever  visited. 

Especially  dear  to  me  is  the  classic  village  of  Bala, 
in  which  my  dear  brother  Chidlaw,  the  famous  Amer- 
ican Sunday-school  missionary,  began  and  ended  his 
long  life  of  usefulness.  That  village  in  the  valley  of 
the  Dee  owes  its  chief  fame  to  the  Eev.  Thomas 
Charles,  who  was  the  real  originator  of  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  In  my  visit  to  Bala  I 
passed  the  good  man's  grave  under  a  clump  of  yew- 
trees;  I  saw  the  chapel  in  which  he  proclaimed  the 
blessed  Gospel  of  redemption,  and  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing stands  the  noble  statue  of  the  man  of  God  in  pure 
white  marble.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  meet  his  grand- 
son, the  Eev.  Mr.  Edwards,  who  was  then  preaching 
in  the  historic  chapel. 

The  essential  glory  of  the  old  Principality  is  not  in 
its  picturesque  scenery  or  its  majestic  mountains.  It 
is  not  in  its  patriotic  memories  of  Owen  Glendower 
and  the  heroic  "  men  of  Harlech."  It  is  in  the  spread 
and  supremacy  of  the  blessed  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  Wales  has  found  her  safeguard  and  her  strength. 
The  salt  which  was  scattered  by  that  stalwart  giant  of 
her  pulpit,  Christmas  Evanr,  and  by  Howell  Harris, 
and  the  Kowlands,  and  the  Joneses,  and  Thomas 
Charles,   and  many   another  faithful  ambassador  of 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

Christ,  has  never  lost  its  savor.  The  fervid  evangelical 
spirit  of  these  men  breathes  througli  the  pages  of  the 
present  volume  of  discourses.  The  Welsh-American 
pulpit  is  fairly  represented  in  these  sermons,  and  the 
names  of  their  authors  are  the  best  guarantee  of  their 
Scriptural  soundness  and  orthodox  doctrine.  Their 
fire  is  the  flame  kindled  by  the  Holy  Spirit;  their  aim 
is  to  convert  and  quicken  immortal  souls.  I  bespeak 
for  this  admirable  volume  a  hearty  welcome  among 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  beautiful  and  beloved 
Wales;  and  may  the  Divine  blessing  richly  attend 
these  eloquent  discourses ! 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  July,  1898. 


CONTENTS. 


EDWARDS,  Rev.  Ebenezer. 

Love- Services, 69 

Biographical  Sketch, 573 

EDWARDS,  Rev.  T.  Cynonfardd,  D.D. 

The  Church  aud  the  Day  of  Rest 82 

Biographical  Sketch, 574 

EVANS,  Rev.  Frederick,  D.D. 

Thanskgiving  Sermou, 97 

Biographical  Sketch, 577 

EVANS,  Rev.  Gwilym  M. 

Spiritual  Labor, 110 

Biographical  Sketch, 577 

EVANS,  Rev.  Llewellyn  I.,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Christ  as  an  Object  of  Study.          ....  118 
Biographical  Sketch, 575 

EVANS,  Rev.  Owen. 

The  Christian  Hope, 144 

Biographical  Sketch, 574 

HARRIS,  Rev.  B. 

A  Successful  Supplicant, 158 

Biographical  Sketch, 578 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

HARRIS,  Rev.  John  Howard,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Freedom  and  Obedience, 173 

Biographical  Sketch, 578 

HUGHES,  Rev.  Morien  Mon,  Ph.D. 

The  Death  of  Christ, 189 

Biographical  Sketch 578 

JONES,  Rev.  Jenkin  Lloyd. 

Life's  Renewals,  or  Perpetual  Youth,  .  .  .  203 
Biographical  Sketch, 579 

JONES,  Rev.  Rhys  Gwesyn,  D.D. 

The  Star  Seen  in  the  East, 224 

Biographical  Sketch, 581 

JONES,  Rev.  R.  S.,  D.D. 

The  Ordination  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  .  .  235 
Biographical  Sketch,      ......  583 

JONES,  Rev.  R.  T.,  D.D. 

The  Divine  and  the  Human  in  Church  Work,  .  252 
Biographical  Sketch, 581 

JONES,  Rev.  Samuel. 

The  Creature, .269 

Biographical  Sketch,      ....  .  583 

LLOYD,  Rev.  John  Elwy. 

The  Condition  of  Spiritual  Knowledge,  .  276 
Biographical  Sketch 583 

MORGAN,  Rev.  Vyrnwy. 

Wales  as  it  Was,  and  as  it  Is,  .  .  .  .1 
The  Characteristics  of  a  Great  Man,  .  .  .  298 
Biographical  Sketch, 584 


CONTENTS.  tV 

PAOK 

MORRIS,  Rev.  Edward  Dafydd,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Greatness  and  the  Joy  of  Preaching,       .         .  335 
Biographical  Sketch, 585 

NELSON,  Rev.  Richard  Hughes. 

Tlie  Lord's  Book 342 

Biographical  Sketch, 586 

NEWTON,  Rev.  Gwernydd. 

The  Model  Message 353 

Biographical  Sketch, 586 

PARRY,  Rev.  John  Hughes. 

A  Missionary  Sermon, 368 

Biographical  Sketch 587 

PARRY,  Rev.  Thomas,  D.  D. 

Symmetrical  Development  of  Character,        .        .  386 
Biographical  Sketch 587 

ROBERTS,  Rev.  Joseph,  D.D. 

Self -Renunciation  the  Law  of  Self-Preservation,   .  409 
Biographical  Sketch, 687 

ROBERTS,  Rev.  Peter,  Ph.D. 

The  Threefold  Look, 425 

Biographical  Sketch, 588 

ROBERTS,  Rev.  William,  D.D. 

Christ  the  Mighty  Savior, 442 

Biographical  Sketch, 588 

ROBERTS,  Rev.  William  Charles,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Inheritance  of  God's  Children  in  this  World.  460 
Biographical  Sketch, 590 


xvi  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

ROBERTS,  Rev.  William  Henry,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

True  Mastery, 479 

Biographical  Sketcli 591 

ROWLANDS,  Rev.  H.  O.,  D.D. 

An  Easter  Sermon, 494 

Biographical  Sketch, 593 

SAMPSON,  Rev.  Caleb. 

Preaching  the  Power  of  God,         ....  510 
Biographical  Sketch, 592 

THOMAS,  Rev.  Benjamin  D.,  D.D. 

The  Supreme  Acquisition  of  Supreme  Being,        .  517 
Biographical  Sketch, 593 

WHITBY,  Rev.  Henry  J.,  Ph.D. 

The  Necessity  of  Christ's  Suffering,      .        .         .  533 
Biographical  Sketch 593 

WILLIAMS,  Rev.  J.  P. 

The  Excellency  of  God's  Law,       ....  545 
Biographical  Sketch, 594 

WILLIAMS,  Rev.  Owen  A. 

Learning  of  Christ, 558 

Biographical  Sketch, 594 


LIST  OF  PORTRAITS. 


PAGE 

Morgan,  Vyrnwy Frontispiece 

Edwards,  T.  Cynonfardd, 64 

Edwards,  Ebenezer,  .        .        .        .        .        .        .64 

Evans,  Frederick, 128 

Evans,  Gwilym  M., 128 

Evans,  Llewellyn  Ivan, 128 

Evans,  Owen, 128 

Harris,  B 64 

Harris,  John  Howard, 64 

Hughes,  Morien  M., 192 

Jones,  Jenkin  Lloyd, 192 

Jones,  Rhys  Gwesyn, 192 

Jones,  R.  S., 192 

Jones.  R.  T., 256 

Jones,  Samuel, 256 

Lloyd,  John  Elwy, 256 

Morris,  Edward  D. , 256 

Nelson,  Richard  Hughes, 256 

Newton,  B.  Gwernydd .         .  352 

Parry,  John  Hughes, 352 

Parry,  Thomas, 352 

Roberts,  Joseph, 352 

Roberts,  Peter 352 

Roberts.  William, 416 

Roberts.  William  C 416 


xviii  LIST  OF  PORTRAITS. 


PAGE 


Roberts.  William  H 416 

Rowlands,  H.  O.,    .        .         •        •        ^        •        •        -416 

Samson,  Caleb,  .        • 512 

Thomas,  Benjamin  D 513 

Whitby,  H.  J., 512 

Williams,  J.  P., 512 

Williams,  O.  A 512 


LECTURES  AND  SERMONS. 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

BY  EEV.  VYRNWY  MORGAN. 

A  Lecture  Delivered  at  Bucknell  University, 
Lewisburg,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A.,  March  21,  1898. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen: — The 
time  at  my  disposal  is  so  limited  that  my  chief  diffi- 
culty lies  in  knowing  what  not  to  say;  therefore  my 
treatment  of  the  subject  must  be  suggestive  rather 
than  exhaustive. 

All  history  is  difficult,  but  Welsh  history  is  excep- 
tionally difficult.  There  is  scarcely  a  proposition  that 
one  could  lay  down  concerning  the  early  history  and 
movements  of  the  Cymry  that  might  not  be  made  the 
subject  of  plausible  controversy.  Moreover,  Welsh 
tradition  is  not  always  reliable. 

After  the  death  of  Llewellyn,  the  last  of  the  Welsh 

princes,  the  bards  were  slain  in  obedience  to  the  King's 

command;  their  writings  were  also  destroyed,  together 

with  other  historical  documents,  and  among  them  the 

1  1 


2  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

Sacred  Scriptures,  of  which  a  translation  had  been 
made  into  the  British  language.  In  the  burning  of 
these  documents  Welsh  literature  and  history  suffered 
irreparable  loss.  The  English  King,  it  seems,  feared 
the  Welsh  bards  more  than  he  did  the  Welsh  warriors, 
for  the  bards  were  the  warriors'  main  artery  of  inspi- 
ration. By  singing  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  ancient 
princes  they  roused  the  soldiers  into  a  wild,  passion- 
ate desire  to  meet  their  foes  on  the  battle-field  in  de- 
fense of  their  liberty  and  homes.  This  remarkable 
policy  of  Edward  I,  has  been  approved  of  by  no  less  a 
personage  than  Hume  the  historian. 

Again,  though  Wales  has  produced  some  of  the  chief 
soloists,  chorus-singers,  and  preachers  of  the  ages, 
she  has  not  produced  either  a  scientist  or  a  his- 
torian of  real  merit.  Several  of  her  sons  made  manly 
attempts  to  furnish  the  world  with  an  authentic  ac- 
count of  the  origin  and  peculiarities  of  the  Welsh 
race.  Among  the  most  notable  were  Humphrey 
Lloyd,  Theophilus  Evans,  Charles  Edwards,  Thomas 
Price,  and  last,  but  not  least,  Sir  John  Price.  Sir 
John  was  a  scholar,  a  gentleman,  and  one  of  the  most 
noted  antiquarians  of  his  time.  From  his  pen  came 
the  first  translation  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ten 
Commandments,  and  Confession  of  Faith,  in  the  year 
1555.  He  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  King  Henry 
VIII.  He  was  the  author  of  the  petition  to  the 
throne,  praying  for  the  annexation  of  Wales  to  Eng- 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  3 

land.  Still  these  writers  have  only  touched  the  fringe 
of  the  question.  And  no  English  historian  has  taken 
what  might  be  called  a  philosophical  view  of  Welsh 
ideas  and  principles, — those  principles  in  which  they 
differ  from  all  other  nations.  While  the  national 
peculiarities  of  Scotland  and  Ireland  have  been  ex- 
plored, Wales  until  recent  years  has  been  regarded  as 
a  country  possessing  but  few  resources,  consequently 
her  national  features  have  been  grossly  misunderstood. 
In  fact,  a  remarkable  degree  of  ignorance  prevails  even 
now  among  people  occupying  respectable  positions  in 
society,  respecting  the  origin,  manners,  and  character- 
istics of  the  Cymry.  Too  many  are  prone  to  think 
that  the  history  of  the  Welsh,  since  the  Conquest, 
is  identical  with  that  of  the  English.  It  is  not  so. 
Geographically  and  administratively  it  is  the  same, 
also  in  so  far  as  the  upper  classes  are  concerned;  but 
the  upper  and  lower  sections  of  the  middle  class,  to- 
gether with  the  masses  of  the  people,  have  lived  a  life 
of  their  own,  spoken  a  language  of  their  own,  and 
practised  a  religion  of  their  own.  This  is  worthy  of 
attention,  especially  when  we  have  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  fact  that  during  the  three  hundred 
years  extending  from  1535  to  1837,  that  is,  from  the 
date  of  the  annexation  to  the  ascension  of  Queen  Vic- 
toria to  the  throne,  the  governing  principle  of  all  Brit- 
ish legislation  affecting  Wales  was  the  assimilation  of 
the  principality  to  England.     Herein  lies  one  of  the 


4  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

most  difficult  problems  connected  with  human  society, 
viz.,  that  a  conquered  race,  insignificant  in  number, 
limited  in  resources,  and  devoid  of  wealth,  should  so 
strangely  cling  to  laws  and  habits  of  life  manifestly 
inferior  to  the  laws  and  habits  and  institutions  which 
their  victorious  neighbors  sought  to  impose  upon  them. 
In  the  natural  course  of  things  one  would  expect  that 
contact  with  the  institutions  of  Norman  England  would 
have  influenced  the  Cymry  for  good;  but,  strange  to 
relate,  it  had  a  contrary  effect.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
Welsh  intellect  had  been  struck  with  paralysis.  The 
lamp  of  hope  had  been  extinguished.  The  people  and 
their  leaders  saw  nothing  but  misfortune  in  the  womb 
of  the  future.  I  am  not  disposed  to  quarrel  with  those 
early  patriots,  for  it  is  difficult  even  for  us,  at  this 
distant  period,  to  reconcile  ourselves  to  our  surround- 
ings. The  English  have  oppressed  us  and  our  an- 
cestors. After  the  surrender  of  Llewellyn,  our  last 
prince,  but  before  we  actually  lost  our  independence, 
the  English  King  and  nobilities  exacted  the  most  cruel 
and  humiliating  concessions  from  Llewellyn.  When 
he,  attended  by  several  Welshmen  of  distinction,  ap- 
peared in  London  for  the  purpose  of  paying  the  hom- 
age stipulated  in  the  treaty  Edward  was  pleased  to 
make,  the  English  derided  Llewellyn  and  his  associ- 
ates, and  held  up  their  language,  their  personal  appear- 
ance, and  their  customs  to  the  ridicule  of  the  court. 
In  addition  to  this,  Peckham,  archbishop  of  Canter- 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  5 

bury,  threatened  Llewellyn  and  his  friends  with  the 
severest  penalties,  both  temporal  and  spiritual;  and 
in  this,  Peckham  voiced  the  sentiments  of  the  Church 
as  such.  His  proffered  interest  in  Llewellyn  was  only 
affected.  He  was  Llewellyn's  enemy  and  the  enemy 
of  his  race.  Thus  it  was  that  the  Welsh  had  to  face 
the  opposition  not  only  of  the  King,  but  also  of 
the  Church.  No  wonder  that  Llewellyn,  goaded  to 
desperation,  resolved  to  renounce  his  unnatural  alle- 
giance to  Edward  I.,  and  to  make  one  supreme  effort 
to  free  his  nation  and  his  country  from  the  grip  of 
the  oppressor.  Then  after  the  "Welsh  lost  their  in- 
dependence the  English  Government  treated  them 
with  contempt.  They  were  excluded  from  public 
offices.  Social  and  political  disabilities  were  imposed 
upon  those  Englishmen  who  married  Welshwomen. 
Vavasor  Powell,  a  non-Conformist  itinerant  preacher, 
spent  the  last  eleven  years  of  his  life  in  prison  for  no 
other  cause  than  that  he  went  about  preaching  Christ. 
Even  in  recent  years  the  English  Government  and 
bishops  sent  incapable  and  even  immoral  clergymen 
down  to  Wales  to  preach; — and  that  in  a  language 
the  people  did  not  understand!  These  clergy  not 
only  misconducted  themselves  openly,  and  shamefully 
neglected  their  duties  while  still  drawing  their  sala- 
ries, but  they  initiated  and  actually  supported  the 
persecution  of  those  non-Conformist  preachers  who 
went  about  exhorting  the  people.     Such  facts  have 


6  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

their  effect  upon  flesh  and  blood.  It  is  difficult  to 
forget  them.  Still  it  would  be  vain  to  deny  that,  on 
the  whole,  our  connection  with  the  British  Empire  has 
been  a  blessing  to  us.  The  British,  better  than  any- 
other  people,  have  solved  the  problem  of  uniting  indi- 
vidualism with  organization.  They  have  produced 
the  noblest  language  and  literature.  In  the  genius 
of  impressing  their  civilization  on  the  rest  of  the 
world,  in  their  colonizing  power,  they  have  no  equals. 
In  the  march  of  progress  England  has  never  made  a 
step  forward  to  go  backward.  Her  development  has 
been  constant  and  uniform.  Her  only  possible  rival 
is  the  United  States ;  but  in  the  States,  liberty  is  more 
in  theory  than  in  practise,  more  in  name  than  in  real- 
ity. The  more  I  see  of  the  two  countries  and  the 
more  I  read  of  general  history,  the  deeper  my  convic- 
tion that  there  is  more  personal,  social,  and  certainly 
more  political  freedom  in  England  than  in  any  other 
country  in  the  world. 

While  freely  and  frankly  acknowledging  our  grati- 
tude to  the  British  Government  for  many  of  the  ad- 
vantages we  enjoy,  nevertheless  the  Welsh  people 
demand  that  every  encouragement  should  be  given  to 
every  distinctive  Welsh  taste,  custom,  or  ideal.  The 
Welsh  have  something  which  the  English  have  not, 
and  which  is  worth  preserving  and  cultivating.  They 
have  a  temperament  which  is  poetical,  musical,  rever- 
ential, religious.     It  is  a  peculiarity  or  a  quality  which 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  7 

belongs  exclusively  to  the  Welsh  nature;  and  while 
the  Welsh  language  may  die,  the  Welsh  nature  "will 
live. 

Wales  means  the  land  of  the  Celts.  Its  population 
is  about  1,776,000.  It  covers  an  area  of  7,378  square 
miles,  or  about  4,720,000  acres, — a  territory  not  much 
larger  than  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Its  extreme 
length  from  the  southern  parts  of  Glamorganshire  to 
the  northern  parts  of  Flintshire  is  only  about  140 
miles,  and  its  extreme  width  from  St.  Davids  in  Pem- 
brokeshire to  the  eastern  parts  of  Breconshire  is  100 
miles.  There  is  no  spot  of  equal  area  beneath  the 
sun  that  can  compare  with  it  in  natural  beauty. 
California  and  Switzerland  surpass  it  in  bold  and 
grand  effects ;  but  for  romantic  glens,  narrow  moun- 
tain-gorges, fascinating  meadows,  beautiful  waterfalls 
and  cascades,  Wales  can  not  be  equaled.  And  as  Dr. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  once  told 
me,  there  is  more  religion  per  square  foot  in  Wales 
than  in  any  other  country  under  the  sun. 

The  inhabitants  are  called  Cymry.  It  is  pronounced 
as  if  written  Kumry.  It  implies  a  first  or  aboriginal 
people.  This  name  was  first  applied  universally  to 
them  between  the  fourteenth  and  the  end  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  "  Welsh  "  is  the  name  by  which  they 
are  popularly  known,  although  at  first  it  was  a  term  of 
reproach  applied  to  them  by  the  English.  During  the 
Roman  stay  in  Britain,  four  hundred  and  fifty  years. 


8  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

the  country  was   called  Britannia    and  the   people 
Britons. 

The  Cymry  are  the  legitimate  descendants  of  the 
ancient  Britons,  by  whom  the  Saxons,  Komans,  and 
other  invaders  were  so  long  and  so  resolutely  opposed. 
They  were  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  British  Isles. 
The  first  view  we  have  of  them,  as  we  gather  it  from 
Grecian  and  Boman  history,  and  from  Celtic  tradi- 
tion, is  in  the  form  of  a  tribe  or  concourse  of  clans 
grouped  around  certain  hereditary  leaders  as  chief- 
tains ;  making  their  way  from  the  great  Eastern  cradle 
of  the  race,  probably  along  the  valley  of  the  Danube, 
through  parts  of  Germany  and  Northern  Italy ;  push- 
ing before  them  several  Gaelic  tribes  which  had  ante- 
ceded  them  in  their  migrations,  and  successfully  over- 
coming those  tribes  or  nations  that  sought  to  enslave 
them;  until  at  length  they  rested  from  their  half- 
nomadic  and  half -warlike  wanderings, — a  portion  in 
Brittany,  but  the  larger  portion  across  the  Channel  in 
the  southern  and  central  sections  of  the  British  Isles. 
It  was  here  that  the  great  Csesar  found  them  and 
learned  something  of  their  valorous  spirit.  It  was  they 
who  gave  the  Koman  poet  cause  to  say  that  Csesar  had 
shown  them  his  back.  They  held  in  check  the  forces 
of  his  splendid  armies  longer  than  any  other  race  of 
modern  Europe.  It  was  through  their  aid  that  Con- 
stantine  the  Great  was  enabled  in  a  measure  to  break 
the  persecuting  pagan  power  in  the  Eoman  Empire. 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  9 

They  fought  against  the  Eomans  for  four  hundred 
years,  and  against  the  Saxons  for  six  hundred  years. 
But  the  Eoman  Empire  succeeded  at  last  in  establish- 
ing its  authority  over  them,  and  the  Saxons,  too,  in 
their  turn  overpowered  them.  Thus  by  degrees  the 
Cymry,  or  Britons,  as  they  were  then  called,  were 
forced  into  the  interior.  At  last  they  were  compelled, 
on  account  of  other  settlements,  to  retreat  to  the  ex- 
treme parts  of  the  island ;  so  that  about  the  sixth  cen- 
tury we  find  them  scattered  throughout  Wales,  Corn- 
wall, and  the  North,  under  one  general  denomination, 
resisting  the  Saxon  arms  in  defense  of  their  freedom 
with  such  valor  and  under  such  circumstances  that  they 
have  peculiar  claim  to  our  sympathy.  In  the  face  of 
bribe,  fraud,  and  physical  force  they  still  maintained 
their  independent  existence  and  character  under  their 
own  chiefs,  preserving  not  only  an  identity  of  name, 
but  a  general  affinity  of  manners  and  language ;  a  lan- 
guage which  was  a  commanding  form  of  the  old  Celtic 
speech  which  existed  for  many  centuries  in  one  type 
in  the  Gwyddelic  or  Irish,  the  Scottish  Gaelic,  and 
the  dialect  of  the  Isle  of  Man ;  and  in  another  type  in 
the  Cymry  or  the  Cornish  and  the  Armoric  dialect  of 
Brittany :  all  traceable  backward  through  their  close 
affinities,  on  the  one  hand,  with  the  kindred  dialects  of 
Gaul ;  on  the  other,  with  the  Greek  or  Latin  tongues, 
to  some  common  origin  in  the  old  East.  With  the 
exception  of  the  Armoric  spoken  in  Brittany,  and  the 


10  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

Welsh  or  Cymraeg,  the  other  dialects  constituting  the 
old  Celtic  language,  such  as  the  Irish,  Scotch,  Manx, 
and  Cornish,  are  practically  dead. 

I  do  not  know  of  anything  more  calculated  to  ex- 
cite one's  sympathy  than  the  history  of  the  Cymry  or 
Welsh  from  the  sixth  century,  when  they  were  com- 
pelled to  retreat  to  the  hills  of  Wales,  their  last 
asylum  from  the  sword  of  the  enemy,  down  to  the  con- 
quest by  Edward  I.,  in  the  year  1282.  For  eight 
hundred  years  the  struggle  for  the  preservation  of 
their  independence  was  carried  on,  — for  it  really  began 
after  the  final  departure  of  the  Komans,  in  446. 

It  is  to  me  a  matter  of  surprise  and  of  admiration 
that  the  Welsh  were  able  for  so  long  a  time  to  with- 
stand the  repeated  shocks  of  foes  so  much  superior  in 
number  and  so  much  better  organized.  The  only  ex- 
planation that  I  can  find  is  this :  while  the  superior 
English  armies  were  composed  of  "  feudal  levies  "  and 
"  merceneries "  having  no  common  interest,  no  love 
for  the  king  who  had  hired  them,  fighting  in  the 
capacity  of  vassals  and  hirelings,  the  Welsh  armies 
were  made  up  of  patriots  animated  by  the  noblest 
motives — defense  of  their  homes,  their  lives,  and  their 
independence 

What  fine  men  those  Welsh  princes  were!  They 
had  beautiful  beards,  hair  of  black,  brown,  and  in 
many  instances  of  golden  locks,  left  unkempt  and 
tossed  back  by  the  hand  when  the  brow  was  hot  and 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  11 

burning  in  the  fray,  or  blown  from  the  forehead  by 
the  wild  winds  when  the  battle  was  over.  Their  very 
presence  was  an  inspiration,  especially  to  people  like 
the  Welsh,  in  whose  nature  the  passion  for  liberty 
has  been  so  deeply  rooted.  These  princes  wore  gar- 
ments of  roughly  woven  woolen  material. 

In  addition  to  this,  each  prince  had  his  laureate  poet 
to  sing  to  him  of  the  glorious  achievements  of  his  an- 
cestors and  to  foster  the  martial  spirit  among  the 
troops.  These  recitals  had  the  same  effect  as  the 
speeches  of  jSTapoleon  had  upon  his  men ;  they  roused 
the  army  into  a  wild,  passionate  love  of  battle,  under 
which  they  were  prepared  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  the 
sake  of  their  leader  and  of  their  land. 

I  have  often  heard  educated  men  ask  the  question, 
"  Why  is  it  that  Welsh  people  think  so  much  of  their 
poets,  whose  fame  is  confined  entirely  to  their  own 
small  country?" 

No  intelligent  person  would  for  a  moment  compare 
any  of  the  Welsh  poets,  whether  ancient  or  modern, 
with  Homer,  or  Virgil,  or  Pope,  or  Shakespeare.  Still, 
the  assertion  may  be  safely  made  that  the  ancient 
Welsh  bards,  like  our  modern  bards,  possessed  true 
poetical  genius, — or,  as  it  is  called  in  Welsh,  "  awen." 
"  Awen"  is  the  Welsh  name  for  "  poetical  genius  " ;  it 
means  "inspiration,"  There  is,  in  one  of  the  old 
Welsh  triads,  a  definition  of  genius  which,  I  think, 
excels  even  that  of  Johnson's.     It  runs  thus:    "An 


12         WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

eye  that  can  see  nature,  a  heart  that  can  feel  nature, 
and  a  resolution  that  dares  to  follow  nature."  A 
complete  and  accurate  literal  translation  of  Welsh 
poetry  into  English  is  an  impossibility;  so  an  Eng- 
lishman unfamiliar  with  the  Welsh  language  can  not 
hope  to  gain,  even  under  the  most  favorable  conditions, 
a  true  conception  of  the  worth  of  Welsh  poetry. 

What,  therefore,  are  the  chief  characteristics  of 
Welsh  poetry?  Its  wonderful  alliteration,  woven 
around  beautiful  similes  and  metaphors ;  its  striking 
interrogations  and  fine  apostrophes j  its  vivid  personi- 
fications, blended  with  grand  exclamations  and  bril- 
liant climaxes.  It  has  not  that  elegant  propriety 
of  sentiment  which  distinguishes  the  productions  of 
Virgil,  nor  has  it  anything  approaching  that  uniform 
sublimity  which,  from  first  to  last,  lends  charm  and 
power  to  the  strains  of  Homer.  But  it  is  classical 
in  both  form  and  language.  It  is  more  the  poetry  of 
thought  than  of  expression.  The  thoughts  glow  like 
rubies,  and  the  sentiment  is  full  of  dignity.  It  has 
tender  feeling  and  fine  moral  sense.  But  the  flashes 
are  irregular;  there  is  not  the  same  uninterrupted 
strain  of  pathos  and  sublimity  which  characterizes  our 
English  poets.  The  poets  of  every  nation  afford  an 
index  to  the  temper  and  character  of  the  people. 
Welsh  poets  deal  with  the  melancholy.  Seldom,  if 
ever,  do  they  sing  of  nature  in  her  majesty,  wildness, 
grandeur;   they  deal  more  with  the  silent  forces  of 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  13 

creation, — the  calm,  tender  and  sad  aspects  of  life. 
Such  is  the  temper  of  the  race.  It  has  one  more  vir- 
tue to  recommend  it.  In  Welsh  poetry  there  is  a 
total  absence  of  sensuality ;  there  is  nothing  to  offend 
the  taste  of  the  most  fastidious  of  critics. 

But  the  chief  reason  for  attaching  so  much  im- 
portance to  the  productions  of  our  ancient  poets  is 
their  historical  value.  They,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Welsh  triads,  form  our  chief  historical  resources. 
These  triads  are  peculiar  to  Welsh  literature;  for  ex- 
ample :  "  Three  things  that  are  not  of  much  use  un- 
less they  are  in  the  house — the  wife,  the  cat,  and  the 
chimney."  "  Three  things  that  turn  the  world  upside 
down — a  quarreling  wife,  an  impudent  young  woman, 
and  an  ignorant  young  man."  "Three  foundations 
of  law — defense,  punishment,  and  honor."  "Three 
things  that  a  Welshman  ought  to  maintain — a  mar- 
ried woman,  armed  men,  and  a  domestic  teacher." 
*'  Three  things  I  wish — life  free  from  shame,  a  right- 
eous death,  and  an  honored  name." 

These  and  similar  triads  embody  some  of  the  earli- 
est laws,  customs,  and  traditions  of  the  Welsh.  They 
are  plain,  practical,  and  not  difficult  to  remember. 
In  Great  Britain,  nowadays,  we  send  lawyers  to  Par- 
liament to  make  laws  for  us;  then  we  have  to  pay 
the  same  lawyers  for  explaining  them.  A  noted  and 
eccentric  Welsh  preacher,  of  the  name  of  Griffith 
Jones  of  Tregarth,  was  accosted  one  day  by  an  ac- 


14  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

quaintance  of  his,  a  lawyer.  The  lawyer,  anxious  for 
a  joke,  told  the  old  man  that  the  latest  news  was  that 
the  Pope  and  the  devil  had  gone  to  law ;  and  asked 
which  side  would  win.  The  old  man  replied :  "I  don't 
know;  but  I  do  know  that  the  Pope  has  the  money, 
while  the  devil  has  the  lawyers. "  These  triads  had 
their  origin  in  that  remarkable  Druidic  system,  con- 
cerning which  I  shall  speak  more  fully  later  on.  Our 
poets  were  true  patriots.  They  played  an  important 
part  in  that  long  and  painful  struggle  for  independ- 
ence. Their  task  was  to  preserve  unity, — a  difficult 
one,  especially  when  we  take  into  consideration  the 
restless  spirit  of  discord  which  had  prevailed  among 
the  Welsh  for  ages.  Their  feuds  and  civil  commo- 
tions continued  to  convulse  the  country.  Caesar  no- 
ticed it,  and  immediately  used  it  to  advantage  in  order 
to  land  his  forces  in  Britain.  Their  discord  seemed 
like  a  disease  of  their  nature.  Their  dissensions,  be- 
sides destroying  their  power,  besides  weakening  the 
element  of  resistance  within  them,  affected  their 
morals  also.  Among  the  lower  classes  it  engendered 
universal  contempt  for  social  order  and  open  defiance 
of  all  authority,  as  well  as  total  disregard  of  the  de- 
cencies of  civilized  life. 

The  Greeks  were  weakened  by  their  inter-tribal 
strifes  for  generations ;  but  they  had  one  redeeming 
quality.  When  the  Persian  appeared  on  their  borders 
with  his  mighty  army,  the  Greeks  instinctively  for- 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  15 

got  their  differences,  and  banded  themselves  together 
as  one  man  against  the  foe.  Not  so  the  Welsh. 
What  advantage  they  gained  to-day  over  their  ad- 
versary, in  virtue  of  superior  fighting  quality,  they 
lost  to-morrow  through  civil  dissensions;  and  these 
dissensions  continued  even  after  they  knew  that  the 
enemy  had  reappeared.  While  the  bugle  sounded 
the  alarm,  the  various  Welsh  tribes  and  chiefs  con- 
tinued to  quarrel  among  themselves. 

This  was  the  main  cause  of  their  downfall  as  a  race. 
United,  they  stood  firm  against  first-class  fighting 
powers, — the  Normans,  the  Romans,  and  the  Sax- 
ons; but  divided,  they  fell.  The  backbone  of  their 
resistance  was  broken  in  the  fall  of  Prince  Arthur; 
but  the  final  collapse  came  with  the  death  of  Llew- 
ellyn, the  last  of  the  Welsh  princes.  Owen  Glyndwr 
subsequently  raised  the  banner  of  insurrection,  but 
more  to  avenge  personal  wrong  than  to  restore  the 
lost  liberty  of  his  nation.  Owen  was  a  brave  man. 
For  a  period  of  fifteen  years  he  withstood  the  intrigues 
and  private  factions  at  home  which  sought  his  ruin, 
and  at  the  same  time  fought  against  the  resources  of 
a  most  powerful  monarchy.  He  was  not  a  traitor. 
His  sword  was  drawn  against  the  usurper.  True,  he 
committed  many  military  excesses;  but  there  was 
sufficient  justification  for  such  excesses  in  the  un- 
pardonable outrages  which  provoked  them. 

Llewellyn's  idea  was  to  unite  the  principality  of 


16  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

Wales,  north  and  south,  into  one  strong  dominion, 
under  his  own  leadership.  He  had  ten  thousand 
armed  patriots  ready  to  do  battle  for  the  cause,  each 
soldier  sworn  to  die  in  defense  of  Llewellyn's  purpose. 
Llewellyn  was  more  of  a  king  than  any  of  his 
predecessors.  He  had  reduced  the  greater  part  of  the 
principality  under  his  dominion  and  had  actually  sus- 
pended the  animosity  of  his  foreign  foes.  He  was  on 
the  point  of  laying  the  foundation  of  his  country's  unity 
and  prosperity.  But  he  failed  when  the  land  of  prom- 
ise was  in  sight;  and  his  failure  was  more  the  fault  of 
his  times  than  of  himself.  Through  the  Pope's  inter- 
vention, peace  was  concluded  between  Llewellyn  and 
Henry.  Llewellyn  was  to  pay  twenty-five  thousand 
marks;  he  was  to  retain  the  sovereignty  of  Wales 
and  the  feudal  privileges  attached  to  it.  The  treaty 
was  signed  at  Montgomery  in  1267,  and  received 
the  sanction  of  the  Pope.  It  was  honorably  observed 
by  Llewellyn  for  a  period  of  five  years ;  then  Henry 
died,  and  Edward,  his  son,  returned  from  the  holy 
wars.  One  of  Edward's  first  acts  was  to  request 
Llewellyn  to  appear  in  London  to  pay  homage  at  his 
coronation.  Llewellyn  refused  unless  some  English 
nobles  of  distinction  were  delivered  as  hostages  for 
his  security.  This  made  Edward  angry;  and  he 
showed  his  anger  by  a  most  shameful  disregard  of 
the  treaty  enacted  between  Llewellyn  and  his  own 
father.     So  the  conflict  was  renewed,  with  varying 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  17 

fortunes.  Treaties  were  made  and  broken.  In  the 
mean  time,  monks  and  nuns  were  being  murdered 
throughout  the  principality.  Convents  and  monas- 
teries were  destroyed ;  and  the  most  unwarrantable  out- 
rages were  committed  by  the  English  functionaries, 
and  these  in  districts  over  which  they  had  no  jurisdic- 
tion. Llewellyn,  moved  by  these  atrocities,  presented 
a  petition  to  the  King;  but  Edward  ignored  the 
petition,  and  permitted  the  outrages  to  continue  conse- 
quently the  breach  between  the  two  widened.  Llewel- 
lyn gained  some  signal  victories  over  Edward.  These 
encouraged  him  to  leave  his  mountain  fastnesses  and 
assume  a  more  aggressive  attitude.  The  proud  English 
monarch  resolved  that  nothing  short  of  unconditional 
surrender  on  the  part  of  Llewellyn  would  satisfy  him. 
Thus  matters  were  brought  to  a  crisis.  Unfortunately, 
Llewellyn  lost  the  caution  which  had  previously  char- 
acterized his  actions.  He  thought  he  saw  the  gleam 
of  Welsh  independence.  In  the  battle  at  Moel-y- 
Don,  near  Bangor,  North  Wales,  the  English  lost 
fifteen  knights,  thirty-two  esquires,  and  a  thousand 
private  soldiers.  The  slaying  of  so  many  individuals 
of  distinction  depressed  the  English  King  for  the 
moment,  while  Llewellyn  was  in  high  spirits.  The 
prize  which  the  former  princes  of  Whales  had  coveted 
was  now  within  his  reach,  he  thought.  But  appear- 
ances are  deceptive.  A  storm  was  brewing  which  was 
destined  to  shatter  completely  and  forever  his  hopes. 
2 


18  WALES  AS  IT  WAS.  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

His  caution  had  left  him.  In  an  evil  hour  he  set 
out  with  some  of  his  forces  for  South  Wales,  in 
order  to  give  battle  to  the  English  forces  there.  He 
found  that  section  of  the  country  tainted  with  dis- 
affection, and  the  English  were  stronger  than  he 
had  anticipated.  Under  such  circumstances,  he 
deemed  it  necessary  to  hold  a  consultation  with  a  few 
of  his  chiefs ;  this  consultation  took  place  at  Builth, 
in  Breconshire.  Llewellyn  waited  and  waited  in 
vain,  in  a  neighboring  wood,  for  the  appearance  of 
some  chiefs  of  the  country.  A  body  of  the  English 
surrounded  him,  and  all  attempts  to  escape  proved 
futile.  His  doom  was  settled.  Llewellyn  was  un- 
doubtedly the  victim  of  treachery.  His  chiefs  had 
betrayed  him.  Adam  de  Francton,  a  private  soldier, 
plunged  a  spear  into  his  body;  his  head  was  sev- 
ered and  despatched  to  Edward,  the  king,  who  was 
then  at  Conway,  in  North  Wales.  Edward  received 
the  bleeding  trophy  with  the  most  barbarous  delight, 
and  had  it  sent  to  London,  decorated  and  exhibited 
in  a  pillory.  It  was  carried  through  the  streets  of 
that  city  in  savage  derision  on  a  spear,  and  ulti- 
mately placed  on  the  tower  of  London.  In  order 
to  magnify  the  indignity,  the  Archishop  of  Canter- 
bury withheld  the  spiritual  panacea  of  absolution, 
which,  in  that  age  of  papal  bigotry,  could  alone  entitle 
the  body  to  Christian  burial.  After  a  while  the  holy 
boon  was  reluctantly  granted,  and  the  remains  of  the 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS.  AND  AS  IT  IS.  19 

Prince  were  consigned  to  the  tomb  in  the  parish  of 
Llnganten,  near  Builth,  in  the  county  of  Brecknock, 
South  Wales.  That  spot— sacred  to  every  Welshman 
—is  known  as  Cefn-y-Bedd.  Thus,  in  the  year  1282, 
after  a  reign  of  nearly  thirty  years,  perished  Llewellyn 
the  last  hope  and  pride  of  the  Welsh  nation. 

These  are  the  tragic  circumstances  under  which 
Wales  as  an  independent  nation  forever  passed  away. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty-three  years  after  the  year  1535, 
Wales  was  formally  and  administratively  united  to 
England,  and  was  allowed  for  the  first  time  to  send  a 
few  representatives  to  the  British  House  of  Commons, 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  The  number  was  grad- 
ually increased;  and  in  1885  it  reached  thirty -four, 
the  present  number. 

The  question  which  here  confronts  us  is:  What 
effects  had  the  final  overthrow  of  Wales  as  an  inde- 
pendent nation  upon  its  people?  It  had  very  serious 
effects.  The  nation  actually  retrograded  toward  bar- 
barism. The  people  turned  against  themselves,— 
despising  their  ancient  literature,  neglecting  the  use 
of  their  own  language,  and  ceasing  to  cultivate  the 
passion  for  liberty.  The  overthrow  was  followed  by  a 
period  of  retrogression  and  darkness.  Thus  the  nation 
—unconsciously,  no  doubt— handicapped  itself  for 
future  progress.  The  influence  of  those  times  may  be 
clearly  traced  in  the  present  life  and  character  of  the 
people.     The  Welsh  bards  fell  into  a  kind  of  trance. 


20  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

The  cultivation  of  the  national  muse  was  abandoned. 
The  English  welcomed  this,  for  they  regarded  the 
Welsh  bard  as  their  most  resolute  foe.  The  clergy 
in  their  official  capacity  took  an  active  part  in  the 
suppression  of  the  "  awen,"  They  showed  themselves 
the  determined  enemies  not  only  of  the  nation's  re- 
ligious and  political  liberty,  but  also  of  the  nation's 
very  identity.  Judging  the  clergy  by  their  actions, 
they  sought  the  extinction  not  only  of  the  nation's 
independence,  but  also  of  the  race  itself.  This  hatred 
of  the  Welsh  manifested  itself  in  every  department 
of  life,  even  in  the  administration  of  justice.  It  has 
not  even  yet  died  away  altogether. 

From  the  time  of  the  overthrow,  nearly  a  century 
elapsed  before  that  rich  poetic  feeling  for  which  the 
Welsh  had  been  so  famous,  but  which  died  away  with 
the  overthrow,  was  revived ;  and  when  it  had  revived 
it  did  not  appear  in  the  same  old  form.  It  appeared, 
in  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century,  in  a  new  garb. 
Before  the  overthrow  the  Welsh  poetic  feeling  was 
characterized  by  lofty,  heroic  strains,  but  now  it  was 
delivered  in  very  subdued  and  melancholy  tones.  The 
old  fire  and  wild  daring  of  former  times  had  forever 
passed  away.  It  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  in  Welsh 
poetry,  the  inauguration  of  a  new  style,  and  even  of  a 
new  system.  Thus  it  is  that  all  the  religious  hymns 
of  the  Welsh  are  struck  in  the  "  minor  key. "  They 
have  invariably  a  tone  of  depression  about  them  which 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  21 

foreigners  can  not  fail  to  notice,  but  which  they  do  not 
understand.  The  same  undertone  of  sadness  pervades 
Welsh  theology,  music,  prayers,  preaching,  and  serv- 
ices. This  sad  undertone  had  its  birth  in  the  conquest. 
Another  result  of  the  overthrow  of  Welsh  independ- 
ence was  the  paralysis  of  the  Welsh  intellect.  For  a 
period  of  three  hundred  years  succeeding  the  act  of 
union,  not  a  single  voice  was  heard  to  break  the  sad 
silence.  It  was  a  period  of  wickedness,  superstition, 
and  intellectual  stagnation.  The  gentry  did  what  they 
could  to  Anglicize  themselves,  and  thus  to  obtain  favors 
at  the  English  court;  but  the  masses  of  the  nation 
lived  apart,  resenting  English  ways  and  ideas ;  and 
there  was  then  no  middle  class  to  cement  the  one  with 
the  other.  But  the  awakening  did  come  at  last,  at  a 
very  unexpected  time  and  from  a  very  unexpected 
source.  It  came  in  the  form  of  a  religious  revival,  and 
with  all  the  earnestness  of  which  an  emotional  race  of 
people  like  the  Welsh  is  capable.  The  result  was  that 
for  the  next  hundred  years  the  Welsh  were  under  the 
influence  of  theological  ideas.  It  is  a  mistake  to  regard 
this  awakening  as  a  manifestation  of  dissent,  pure  and 
simple.  A  state  church  in  England  is  equivalent  to 
your  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  with  this  essential 
difference:  that,  whereas  the  Episcopal  Church  in 
America  stands  on  the  same  footing  in  the  eyes  of  the 
law  and  the  state  as  other  sections  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  has  to  be  supported  by  the  contributions  of 


22  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

its  own  members,  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Wales  is  the 
only  church  recognized  by  the  law  and  the  state,  and 
is  supported  by  tithes,  endowments,  state  funds,  and 
the  contributions  of  its  own  members,  the  livings 
being  in  the  hands  of  bishops,  private  individuals  of 
position,  and  the  Lord  Chancellor,  who  changes  with 
the  change  of  Government. 

This  religious  upheaval  was  a  protest  against  the 
habits,  forms  of  worship,  and  constitution  of  the 
Episcopal  Church ;  but  it  had  a  far  deeper  significance. 
It  was  the  new  birth  of  the  nation's  intellectual  life. 
The  paralysis  had  passed  away.  In  this  and  subse- 
quent religious  revivals  lay  the  beginnings  of  the  higher 
life  of  Wales.  They  explain  the  educational  move- 
ments, the  political  activity,  the  industrial  enterprise 
which  have  completely  revolutionized  the  social,  in- 
tellectual, and  religious  conditions  of  the  country. 
The  sword  of  the  patriot  has  been  laid  aside.  The 
passion  for  independence  in  the  form  of  separation 
has  been  extinguished.  The  Welsh  writer  has  taken 
the  place  of  the  Welsh  warrior.  Literature,  poli- 
tics, commerce,  form  the  battle-field  now.  The  pas- 
sion which  absorbs  the  nation  at  the  present  time 
is  that  of  vindicating  the  learning  and  genius  of  the 
race. 

In  tracing  the  development  of  Welsh  life  and  char- 
acter, and  the  influences  that  have  been  at  work,  a 
prominent  place  should  be  assigned  to  the  remarkable 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,   AND  AS  IT  IS.  23 

institution  of  Druidism,  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made. 

Druidism  was  established  among  the  various  Celtic 
tribes  in  very  early  times  j  but  it  was  among  the 
Cymry,  or  Welsh,  that  it  reached  its  consummation. 
Originally  the  Druids  were  a  religious  or  priestly  order 
similar  to  the  organized  priesthood  of  ancient  Egypt 
and  of  modern  India.  By  degrees  this  priestly  order 
began  to  share  with  the  chieftains  and  princes  in  the 
framing  and  even  the  administration  of  the  laws.  The 
Druids  were,  for  their  time,  a  very  learned  body  of 
men ;  the  education  of  the  youth  of  the  country  was 
entirely  in  their  hands.  They  were  in  reality  the 
schoolmasters  of  the  nation.  Previous  to  the  Refor- 
mation they  were  to  all  intents  and  purposes  the  only 
class  that  sought  to  promote  the  education  of  the  com- 
mon people.  By  degrees  they  developed  into  a  poetic 
order,  and  as  such  enjoyed  the  patronage  of  both  the 
lower  classes  and  the  nobles.  At  last  there  were 
evolved  out  of  this  old  Druidic  stock  three  classes — 
the  philosophers,  the  poets,  and  the  priests.  The 
Druidic  philosophers  orally  taught  young  men — only 
the  choicest  youths  were  taught — the  courses  of  the 
planets,  the  size  of  the  world,  the  nature  and  func- 
tions of  herbs ;  in  fact,  they  taught  concerning  every- 
thing what  may  be  termed  philosophy.  They  taught 
the  theory  of  the  transmigration  of  the  soul.  The 
essence  of  this  theory  is  that  the  soul,  on  leaving  the 


24  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

body  at  death,  enters  another  body.  This  was  taught 
by  them  in  order  to  inspire  the  young  men  to  heroism 
and  good  deeds  by  causing  them  to  believe  that  if  they 
lived  well,  their  souls,  in  the  next  generation,  would  in- 
habit the  bodies  of  lords  and  nobles.  The  students 
were  not  permitted  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  their  school. 
Transgression  was  followed  by  the  most  barbaric  pen- 
alties. This  period  was  the  great  formative  one  in  the 
history  of  the  Welsh  nation ;  it  is  therefore  natural  to 
expect  that  the  Druids,  into  whose  hands  the  educa- 
tion of  the  young  men  of  that  time  fell,  should  have 
left  deep  impressions  upon  the  life,  character,  and 
institutions  of  the  race.  What  impressions  have  they 
left?  To  the  influence  of  Druidism,  or  at  least  that 
phase  of  it  called  "bardism,"  the  old  lloman  church 
was  indebted  for  its  long  independence  of  the  see  of 
Rome.  The  bards  took  the  foremost  part  in  exciting 
the  zeal  of  the  clergy — the  British  clergy — against 
the  insidious  and  powerful  influences  of  the  Eomish 
church.  The  Eisteddfod,  one  of  the  greatest  of  Welsh 
institutions,  and  the  bardic  congress,  may  be  attributed 
to  the  old  Druids.  They  were  the  first  to  embody — 
that  is,  between  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries — the 
Welsh  language  in  a  written  form.  To  their  influence, 
also,  we  are  indebted  for  any  literature  worthy  of  the 
name  during  many  succeeding  generations. 

I  have  already  observed  that  the  beginnings  of  the 
present  higher  life  of  Wales  are  to  be  found  in  the  first 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.         25 

and  immediately  succeeding  religious  revivals  which 
practically  revolutionized  the  country.  In  order  to 
enable  you  to  realize  the  force  of  those  revivals,  let 
me  for  a  moment  call  your  attention  to  the  social 
and  intellectual  condition  of  the  people  during  those 
times. 

A  noted  clergyman  of  the  name  of  Khys  Prichard, 
vicar  of  Llandovery,  Carmarthenshire,  in  the  year 
1579,  who  was  educated  at  Jesus  College,  Oxford,  and 
who  was  a  strict  Conformist  and  a  Puritan,  composed 
a  collection  of  poems  called  the  *'  Welshman's  Candle." 
In  these  poems  he  describes  the  ignorance  and  immor- 
ality of  which  he  was  an  eye-witness.  The  work 
consists  of  about  two  hundred  religious  carols. 

The  young  clergyman's  sacred  calling  did  not  pro- 
tect him  from  the  contagion  of  the  prevalent  intem- 
perance of  the  place.  He  became  a  frequenter  of  pot- 
houses, and  thereby  an  eye-witness  of  the  scenes  so 
graphically  described  in  one  of  his  songs.  He  had  a 
favorite  goat — a  fine,  venerable,  patriarchal  old  fel- 
low— to  whom  the  younglings  and  the  more  inexperi- 
enced of  the  flock  used  to  look  up  for  counsel  and 
direction  in  cases  of  emergency.  This  goat  used  to 
follow  him  wherever  he  went — possibly  to  church,  but 
certainly  to  the  alehouse.  On  one  occasion  the  goat 
was  made  drunk ;  but  with  the  morning  calm  reflection 
came,  and  never  afterward  could  he  be  prevailed  upon 
to  enter  an  alehouse.     The  wise  conduct  of  the  goat 


26  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

impressed  the  vicar's  mind  very  powerfully,  and  from 
that  hour  he  became  an  altered  man,  and  continued  to 
the  day  of  his  death  to  be  an  example  to  his  flock  of 
ail  that  was  good  and  Christian. 

In  the  year  1703  there  appeared  a  remarkable  book 
entitled  "  The  Visions  of  the  Sleeping  Bard, "  by  the 
B,ev.  Ellis  Wynne,  vicar  of  Danfair,  in  Merionethshire. 
This  work  has  passed  through  seventeen  editions.  It 
is  truly  horrible  reading.  It  consists  of  three  parts  : 
first,  the  vision  of  the  course  of  this  world;  second, 
the  vision  of  death  in  its  lower  courts ;  third,  the  vision 
of  hell. 

The  world  is  a  vast  city,  consisting  of  three  streets, 
the  control  of  which  has  been  given  to  Belial's  three 
daughters — Pride,  Pleasure,  and  Lucre.  Each  street 
is  called  after  the  name  of  the  particular  princess  that 
rules  over  it.  In  the  street  of  Pride  there  are  vani- 
ties innumerable:  some  standing  before  the  glass 
for  hours  together  to  adjust  their  dress  and  to  put 
their  lips  into  proper  shape,  all  endeavoring  to  set 
themselves  off  to  the  best  advantage;  a  lady  with  a 
pedlar's  shop  on  her  neck,  and  gems  hanging  from 
her  ears  that  cost  enough  to  purchase  a  tolerable  farm, 
and  a  gentleman  passing  along  with  such  a  swagger 
that  you  could  winnow  beans  in  the  breeze  made  by 
the  tail  of  his  coat. 

The  street  of  Lucre  is  full  of  oppression,  extor- 
tion,  and  knavery  of  all  kinds.     Agents,  stewards, 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,   AND  AS  IT  IS.  27 

magistrates,  lawyers,  doctors,  merchants,  shopkeepers 
are  all  bent  upon  gain,  and  managing  by  hook  or  by 
crook  to  secure  it. 

In  the  street  of  Pleasure  he  saw  gluttony  and 
drunkenness,  and  still  grosser  immoralities ;  he  wit- 
nessed scenes  which  he  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  de- 
scribe. And  turning  away  from  these  in  disgust,  he 
and  his  angel  guide  came  upon  a  place  where  they 
heard  a  great  noise,  jabbering  and  thumping,  crying 
and  laughing,  shouting  and  singing.  "  Well,"  said  I, 
"here  is  Bedlam,  to  be  sure."  When  we  entered  the 
place,  the  riot  had  ceased;  and  we  saw  men  in  all 
manner  of  positions,  lying  amid  the  wreck  of  bottles 
and  cups  and  pots  and  tobacco-pipes.  Upon  inquiry  he 
found  that  seven  thirsty  neighbors — a  tinker,  a  dyer,  a 
blacksmith,  a  miner,  a  chimney-sweep,  a  poet,  and  a 
parson — had  been  having  good  times  together.  The 
parson  had  come  to  preach  on  temperance  and  to  show 
in  his  own  person  the  hideousness  of  drunkenness.  A 
quarrel  began  in  a  dispute  that  had  arisen  among 
them  over  the  question  which  could  drink  the  hard- 
est; and  it  was  the  poet  who  had  won  the  field 
over  all,  but  the  parson  who,  out  of  respect  to  his 
coat,  was  voted  head  and  chief  of  the  merry  gang. 
Having  visited  a  Quakers'  meeting,  where  all  was 
wrong,  and  a  non-conformist  meeting  held  in  a  barn, 
"  where  a  man  imitated  preaching  by  rote,  frequently 
saying  the  same  thing  three  times    over,"  he  then 


28  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

asked  his  guide :  "  Where,  I  pray  thee,  is  the  Church 
of  England?"  "That,"  said  he,  "is  above,  in  the 
higher  city,  and  constitutes  a  large  part  of  the 
Church  Catholic.  But  there  are  in  this  city  some 
probationary  churches  belonging  to  the  Church  of 
England,  where  Welsh  and  English  people  are  under 
training  for  a  while  to  JBt  them  to  have  their  names 
written  on  the  book  of  the  Church  Catholic ;  and  who- 
ever obtains  that  privilege,  happy  is  he.  But,  alas! 
there  are  only  a  few  who  care  to  qualify  themselves 
for  citzenship  there." 

Such  was  Wales  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

I  am  here  reminded  of  an  Irish  joke  which  Eev. 
Dr.  Newman  Hall  once  told  me  at  his  own  expense. 
He  was  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  very  anxious  to 
hear  an  Irish  joke  "fresh  from  the  fountain."  See- 
ing a  boy  sweeping  the  street,  Dr.  Hall  asked  him 
this  question:  "If  the  devil  came  along  this  way 
now,  which  of  us  two  would  he  take  first?  "  "  I  don't  ' 
know,  your  Eeverence,"  replied  the  boy;  then  he 
added:  "Here  is  Father  Mahony  coming;  he'll  be 
the  best  man  to  tell  you. "  "  No, "  persisted  the  Doc- 
tor, "I  want  you  to  tell  me  yourself."  "Well,  your 
Eeverence,"  answered  the  boy,  "he  would  take  me  / 
first."  "Why  take  you  first,  Pat?"  "Because,  to 
be  sure,  your  Eeverence,  he  could  get  you  at  any  time. " 
There  were  plenty  of  people  the  devil  could  easily 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  29 

pick  up  in  Wales  at  that  time.     They  were  dead  in 
trespasses  and  in  sin. 

Who  made  the  first  attempt  to  evangelize  the  peo- 
ple and  to  encourage  Bible  reading?  It  was  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Gouge,  an  English  clergyman,  who  in  the  year 
1674  gave  up  his  living  in  London  for  that  purpose. 
This  consecrated  man,  and  an  Englishman,  spent  his 
own  money,  raised  subscriptions,  bought  and  distrib- 
uted thousands  of  books,  and  placed  the  Bible  in  the 
hands  of  the  Welsh  people.  He  also  established  hun- 
dreds of  schools.  Sixty  years  after  him  came  Rev. 
Griffith  Jones  Llanddowror,  a  vicar  of  the  Church  of 
England.  That  was  in  the  year  1730.  He  won  the 
sympathy  of  Madam  Bevan,  a  rich  lady,  and  was  able 
to  accomplish  immense  good.  He  established  "cir- 
culating schools."  On  the  Saturday  preceding  the 
monthly  sacrament  days  he  used  to  hold  a  preparatory 
service,  at  which  he  catechized  those  who  were  desir- 
ous of  partaking  of  that  sacred  ordinance.  The  result 
showed  the  most  painful  ignorance.  In  1730  he 
opened  a  school  in  his  own  parish,  where  young  and 
old  were  taught  to  read  the  Scriptures.  Other  schools 
of  the  same  kind  were  established  in  different  parts 
of  the  country.  Mr.  Jones  selected  and  paid  the 
schoolmasters.  These  went  about  from  place  to  place, 
staying  in  one  locality  a  few  months  at  a  time.  Hence 
the  schools  were  called  "  circulating  schools."  At  the 
death  of  Jones  these  schools  numbered  two  hundred 


30  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

and  eighteen,  and  not  less  than  ten  thousand  people 
had  been  taught  in  a  single  year  to  read  the  Bible. 
Unfortunately,  after  Jones  died  these  schools  ceased 
to  exist  in  consequence  of  the  conduct  of  one  of  Madam 
Bevan's  trustees,  into  whose  care  he  had  intrusted  the 
sum  of  f  28, 000.  This  trustee  possessed  himself  of  the 
property  which  Jones  and  Madam  Bevan  had  left  for 
the  benefit  of  the  circulating  schools.  Legal  proceed- 
ings were  instituted,  but  thirty  years  elapsed  before 
the  charity  came  again  into  effect.  The  Rev.  Thomas 
Charles,  B.A.,  of  Bala,  North  Wales,  noticed  the  de- 
plorable state  of  things.  He  took  the  circulating 
schools  as  a  base  of  operation,  and  these  he  converted 
into  what  is  now  known  as  Sunday-schools.  That  was 
in  1785,  shortly  after  their  introduction  at  Gloucester, 
in  England,  by  Eobert  Raikes.  These  schools  have 
been,  and  are  now,  attended  not  merely  by  children, 
but  by  aged  men  and  women.  It  is  to  the  Sunday- 
school  that  the  Welsh  people  are  indebted  not  only 
for  their  religious  instruction,  but  also  for  their  knowl- 
edge of  the  art  of  reading. 

The  next  factor  in  the  shaping  of  Welsh  national 
life  that  I  shall  speak  about  is  the  Welsh  pulpit.  It 
dates  back  to  the  days  of  the  founders  of  Calvinis- 
tic  Methodism,  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  Drunkenness,  cruelty,  and  ignorance  were 
rampant  at  that  period.  To  preach  was  not  fashion- 
able as  it  is  now.     Men  like  Vavassor  Powell  and 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  31 

Howell  Harris  were  mobbed,  beaten  with  sticks, 
hooted,  pelted  with  rotten  eggs,  and  so  shamefully 
maltreated  that  they  were  more  than  once  picked  up 
for  dead.  These  inhumanities  had  their  origin  partly 
in  the  gross  ignorance  and  brutality  of  the  people; 
but  in  very  many  instances  they  were  instigated  by 
the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England,  who  did  not  care 
to  do  the  work  for  which  they  were  paid,  and  yet  did 
not  want  to  see  others  doing  it,  especially  unordained 
clergymen,  as  they  called  these  itinerant  preachers. 
But  notwithstanding  the  most  inhuman  treatment, 
these  holy  men  went  on.  The  hand  of  God  was  in 
the  movement.  Howell  Harris  at  one  time  had  a  con- 
gregation of  two  thousand.  He  preached  for  upward 
of  two  hours  in  the  drenching  rain,  yet  not  a  single 
person  left.  These  itinerant  preachers  gained  in 
power.  By  and  by  the  preachers  were  a  terror  to 
evil-doers.  As  a  rule,  they  were  men  of  commanding 
presence.  There  was  something  impressive  about 
them;  they  appeared  like  mountains  among  hills. 
Their  character  was  unquestioned  and  unquestionable. 
Their  consecration  was  manifest  to  both  men  and 
angels.  The  style  of  their  preaching  suited  the  tem- 
perament and  spiritual  state  of  the  people.  They 
preached  law,  sin,  punishment,  death,  hell.  Men  and 
women  sobbed  amid  tears,  swooned,  shouted  for  mercy, 
lost  all  cciitiol  over  themselves.  Those  were  memor- 
able days.     The  spirit  of  God  was  stirring  the  nation. 


32  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

No  wonder  that  a  certain  justice  of  the  peace  told  old 
Ebenezer  Morris :  "  You  are  worth  more  than  a  dozen 
of  us. "  Yes,  these  preachers  were  the  unpaid  police 
of  the  principality.  The  result  is  that  now  there  is 
no  country  of  its  size  with  so  many  churches  and 
religious  institutions,  and  no  country  with  so  much 
religion. 

Seven  out  of  every  ten  are  non-conformists.  These 
denominations  comprise  the  masses,  and  the  lower  and 
upper  sections  of  the  middle  class.  Few,  if  any,  of  the 
upper  classes  patronize  non- conformity.  The  church  of 
the  rich  and  the  high-toned  is  the  Church  of  England. 
This  church,  until  lately,  had  done  no  evangelistic  work 
of  any  kind ;  but  during  the  last  few  years  a  striking 
change  has  come  over  the  spirit  of  its  dreams.  The 
clergy  are  becoming  astonishingly  active  and  useful. 
As  a  body  of  men  they  are  well  informed,  well  organ- 
ized, pure  in  their  habits,  and  possess  unblemished 
characters.  They  stand  well  in  the  eyes  of  all  unprej- 
udiced men.  This  wonderful  activity  of  the  clergy 
is  causing  some  uneasiness  in  non-conformist  quarters, 
perhaps  through  fear  of  disestablishment.  Though 
disestablishment  is  less  likely  now  than  it  was  ten 
years  ago,  it  may  be  true  that  this  immense  activity 
of  the  clergy  is  due,  in  part,  to  f^ar — fear  of  disen- 
dowment  rather  than  of  disestablishment ;  still,  it  is 
evident  that  the  clergy  of  Wales,  at  the  present  mo- 
ment, are  a  consecrated  body  of  men.     In  their  ranks 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  33 

are  to  be  found  some  of  the  most  learned,  eloquent,  and 
pious  clergy  of  the  country ;  though  if  they  did  less 
proselytizing  and  more  evangelistic  work,  pure  and 
simple,  among  the  unconverted,  it  would  be  better,  and 
would  certainly  create  a  more  favorable  impression. 

I  have  not  the  statistics  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
but  I  will  give  you  the  figures  which  show  the  relative 
strength  of  the  other  denominations : 

ChurcJies.  Members. 

Calvinistic  Methodists 1,330  150,442 

Congregationalists  (or  Independents)   1,040  140,652 

Baptists 820  106,260 

Wesleyans 375  20.080 

3,565  417,440 

It  has  been  said  that  religion  is  a  talent,  and  that 
we  can  no  more  expect  every  man  to  be  religious  than 
to  be  artistic,  philosophic,  or  musical.  I  do  not  fully 
agree  with  this ;  still,  it  is  true  that  some  men  and  some 
races  have  a  greater  religious  capacity  than  others. 
The  instinct  of  worship,  however,  is  in  all  nations,  how- 
ever barbarous  and  however  enlightened,  and  neither 
knowledge  nor  ignorance  can  eradicate  it  from  hu- 
man nature.  The  Welsh  are  preeminently  religious. 
When  Popery  abounded  in  Wales,  the  Welsh  were 
among  the  most  ardent  supporters  the  Pope  had. 
The  Welsh  nature  seems  eminently  fitted  for  the 
reception  and  expression  of  religious  truths.  The 
Welsh  have  no  disposition  toward  science,  but  are 
3 


84  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

passionately  fond  of  poetry.  This  explains  the  fact 
why  they  as  a  race  are  so  partial  to  religion  for  religion 
is  more  allied  to  poetry  than  to  science. 

Preaching  has  filled  a  higher  place  in  the  life  of 
Wales  than  even  in  the  life  of  modern  England.  The 
standard  of  preaching  is  also  different  in  the  two 
countries.  The  English  sermon  is  often  an  essay,  or 
a  lecture,  or  an  address.  It  is  the  very  antithesis  of  a 
Welsh  sermon.  The  nearest  parallel  to  the  ideal 
Welsh  sermon  that  I  can  think  of  now  is  the  type 
which  prevails  among  the  priests  of  the  modern  high 
church  school.  It  is  a  very  notable  feature  in  Welsh 
preaching  that  the  academic  and  popular  elements  are 
intimately  blended.  In  power  to  move  and  thrill  a 
mixed  audience,  a  first-class  popular  Welsh  preacher 
has  no  rival.  He  stands  alone,  he  is  a  perfect  artist 
iu  the  presentation  of  his  theme.  First  of  all,  there 
is  a  lucid  and  intelligent  exposition  of  the  text;  then 
the  preacher  seizes  some  great  moving  principle ;  then 
that  principle  is  gradually  unfolded  and  applied  in 
its  various  bearings  to  the  different  moods,  needs, 
and  sins  of  the  hour.  At  last  comes  the  application 
and  peroration.  Time  is  very  essential  to  him.  He 
may  need  an  hour  or  more,  but  he  must  have  it. 
What  would  an  American  audience  think  of  that? 

It  used  to  be  a  common  custom  with  Welsh  preach- 
ers, and  it  prevails  now  to  some  extent,  to  paraphrase 
the  lesson.     It  was  simply  delightful  to  hear  the  ready 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  85 

wit,  the  subtle  analytical  power,  and  the  sound  common 
sense  displayed  by  many  of  the  preachers.  For  ex- 
ample, these  are  the  comments  the  Rev.  Kilsby  Jones, 
of  Llandindad  Wells,  South  Wales,  made  on  that  chap- 
ter containing  an  account  of  the  Master  and  the  disci- 
ples on  the  way  to  Emmaus : 

"In  traveling,  the  mind  grows  tired  sooner  than 
the  body.  The  experience  of  pedestrians  largely 
points  in  this  direction.  I  recollect  the  time  when 
my  feet  carried  me  many  a  mile  when  I  was  too  poor 
to  hire  and  too  proud  to  borrow.  Now  and  then  I  met 
with  men  of  extraordinary  conversational  powers,  and 
forgot  all  about  my  feet  and  the  roughness  of  the  way ; 
but  when  we  came  to  the  parting  of  the  ways,  and  I 
lost  them  and  their  exciting  conversation,  I  soon  had 
telegrams  from  my  poor  feet.  There  are  some  men 
who  talk  to  you  so  charmingly  that,  even  if  you  were 
an  alderman,  you  would  forget  your  dinner.  On  this 
ever-memorable  journey  seven  miles  soon  passed.  It 
was  now  getting  late.  The  shadows,  which  were  cast 
deep  and  wide  over  the  quiet  glens  and  hillocks,  told 
the  travelers  that  people  resided  there,  and  had  retired 
to  rest,  and  that  it  was  time  for  man  to  wend  his 
way  homeward  for  the  night.  The  disciples  arrived 
at  length  at  their  destination;  but  He  made  as  tho 
He  would  have  gone  farther;  but  they  constrained 
Him,  saying:  'Abide  with  us,  for  it  is  evening,  and 
the  day  is  far  spent. '  "     Having  spoken  of  the  eyes  of 


36  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

the  disciples  being  opened  so  that  they  recognized 
their  Lord  in  the  breaking  of  bread,  Kilsby  proceeded 
to  read :  "  And  He  vanished  out  of  their  sight !  What 
a  blank  when  He  vanished !  I  remember  well  the  visits 
of  my  old  friend,  the  Kev.  J.  P.  Mursell,  many  years 
ago.  Whenever  he  came,  he  filled  every  nook  with 
light;  but  when,  after  an  hour's  brilliant  talk,  he 
used  to  leave  me  in  my  room  alone,  the  light  vanished 
all  too  rapidly  with  him.  I  used  to  gather  the  re- 
mains of  his  presence,  and  indulged  the  fond  imagi- 
nation that  he  was  still  in  the  arm-chair.  On  one 
occasion  a  small  brother  called  upon  me,  and  broke 
the  reverie.  He  was  about  to  sit  in  the  chair  just 
vacated  by  my  great  friend.  I  said :  '  Pray,  sit  in 
this  chair,  not  that ! '  '  But  that  is  empty, '  responded 
the  visitor.  '  No,'  said  I,  '  it  isn't  empty;  it  will  be 
if  you  sit  in  it. '  " 

I  will  now  give  you  my  translation  of  Kilsby 's  de- 
scription of  the  preaching  of  John  Elias  in  the  year 
1829,  at  one  of  the  annual  associations  which  are  held 
in  the  different  counties  north  and  south.  It  was  at 
Lampeter,  Cardiganshire,  Christmas  Evans,  the  best 
known  of  all  Welsh  preachers,  was  an  independent 
thinker,  a  born  poet,  and  a  tumultuous  speaker. 
Williams  of  the  Wern  was  a  metaphysician,  a  keen 
reasoner,  and  a  captivating  speaker.  John  Elias  was 
a  finished  orator,  an  able  theologian,  and  a  voracious 
reader.     There  were  three  services  held  at  the  Lam- 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.         37 

peter  Association  each  day,  and  three  preachers 
officated  at  each  service.  The  following  is  Kilsby's 
description  of  John  Eliis : 

"  This  was  the  first  time  for  me  to  have  the  privi- 
lege of  seeing  and  hearing  this  great  man ;  and  as  I 
was  then  and  still  continue  to  be  a  hero-worshiper, 
I  had  a  far  greater  desire  to  see  the  only  rhetorician 
that  Wales  ever  produced,  than  any  lad  ever  had  to 
go  to  Oblyn  or  Lampeter  Fair. 

"  The  day  was  everything  one  might  desire ;  there 
was  not  a  single  cloud,  not  even  the  size  of  a  man's 
hand,  to  be  seen  on  the  broad  expanse  of  heaven;  the 
valleys  were  clothed  with  pasture,  the  level  plains  and 
slopes  were  covered  with  corn ;  and  the  people,  in  an- 
ticipation of  fruitful  seasons,  were  hearty  and  cheerful. 

"Lampeter  with  its  whole  surroundings  in  every 
direction  was  full  of  excitement  since  the  dawn  of  day ; 
the  roads  below  and  above  the  town,  from  the  remote 
parts  of  Cardigan,  and  the  shores  of  the  sea,  were 
crowded  with  people  making  their  way  to  the  chosen 
spot.  There  were  hosts  on  foot,  many  on  horseback, 
and  the  men  of  note  in  vehicles. 

"  Scores  could  be  seen  making  their  way  along  the 
valleys,  and  the  hillsides  were  thick  with  young  pedes- 
trians, light-footed  and  cheerful.  The  sound  of  these 
multitudes  struck  the  ear  like  the  murmur  of  the  ocean 
at  even-tide.  A  large  platform  had  been  raised  on  the 
common,  and  over  it  a  roof  made  of  rough  canvas  in 


38  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

order  to  soften  the  heat  of  the  sun;  or,  if  it  should 
happen  to  rain,  to  protect  the  speakers  and  the  many- 
ladies.  I  had  taken  care  to  be  present  before  the 
commencement  of  the  chief  service  at  ten  o'clock, 
especially  as  the  spot  selected  was  not  so  convenient  as 
many  of  the  localities  which  are  available  for  holiday 
meetings  in  hilly  districts,  where  it  is  easy  to  choose 
a  slope  which  serves  as  one  of  the  '  rising  galleries  of 
nature. ' 

"  I  had  never  before  seen  together  so  many  people, 
and  I  have  not  seen  since  on  similar  occasion  such  a 
vast  crowd. 

"  In  front  of  the  platform,  which  was  a  rather  long 
one,  there  was  an  array  of  the  chief  ministers  among 
the  Calvinistic  Methodists ;  they  were  men  with  fine 
physique,  broad  shoulders,  and  crowned  with  a  digni- 
fied presence.  The  old  people,  in  accordance  with 
the  country  slang,  used  to  call  them  the  *  old  oxen. ' 

"  I  do  not  remember  who  introduced  the  service  or 
who  preached  first.  The  precentor  of  the  thousands 
was  Mr.  Evan  Kees,  Llannon,  to  whom  the  selections 
of  the  hymns  and  the  commencement  of  the  singing 
had  been  intrusted;  and  it  was  simply  necessary  to 
hear  him  in  order  to  be  convinced  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  select  a  more  capable  man  to  perform 
such  a  service ;  for  he  had  a  fine  voice,  and  it  was  a 
pleasure  to  listen  to  the  song  which  had  been  com- 
menced on  the  platform  intoning  and  intoning  until 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,   AND  AS  IT  IS.  39 

at  last  it  tenderly  died  away  on  the  farthest  outskirts 
of  the  crowd,  and  the  chief  singer  waiting  until  the 
sound  had  passed  away,  when  he  would  commence 
again. 

"  The  second  preacher  was  Mr.  Evans,  of  Llwynff or- 
tun,  and  the  old  people  who  still  survive  remember 
his  noble  presence,  his  large,  serious  face,  and  his 
generous  blue  eyes,  which  he  could  turn  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  his  tones  of  incomparable  tenderness.  It 
was  an  English  sermon ;  and  though  the  pronunciation 
was  not  in  accordance  with  the  strict  laws  of  Walker, 
his  English  was  perfectly  correct  and  appropriate  so 
far  as  style  was  concerned,  and  his  sentences  were  one 
increasing  torrent,  like  that  of  the  Teify  close  by,  when 
it  is  swollen  by  the  mountain  brooks  after  the  rain. 
Though  Mr.  Evans  preached  in  a  language  that  none 
but  the  minority  could  understand,  he  secured  not 
only  their  attentive  hearing,  but  also  the  hearing  of 
the  monoglot  majority  who  listened  merely  out  of  re- 
spect for  the  man,  and  because  of  their  implicit  confi- 
dence in  him  that  he  would,  in  whatever  language,  do 
justice  to  the  claims  of  his  Master  and  Saviour. 

"  They  reminded  me  of  '  Teimouth  y  gaib '  from 
Crug  y  Bar,  of  blessed  memory,  who,  when  pleased, 
would  break  out  into  loud  Amen. 

"  On  one  occasion  Teimouth  broke  out  while  listen- 
ing to  an  English  preacher,  tho  he  could  not  under- 
stand a  word  the  preacher  said.      After  tho  meet- 


40  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

ing  was  over  he  was  taken  to  task  for  saying  Amen 
during  an  English  sermon,  when  he  gave  the  following 
satisfactory  reply:  'I  heard  something  very  much 
like  Jesus  Christ,  and  at  once  felt  my  heart  warming 
toward  him.'  The  leader  of  the  song  gives  out  an- 
other hymn ;  and  while  this  part  of  the  service  pro- 
ceeds the  crowd  can  be  seen  in  every  direction  making 
its  way  to  the  platform.  The  singing  is  over;  then 
suddenly,  like  a  bolt  from  the  sky,  the  master  of  the 
assembly  makes  his  appearance. 

"  Until  now  no  one  had  seen  his  face ;  my  heart  was 
beating  so  fast  that  my  waistcoat  trembled,  and  I  felt 
like  one  about  to  choke.  There  was  a  lump  in  my 
throat.  He  cast  a  rapid  glance  at  the  audience ;  his 
face  was  full  of  care,  and  every  cord  is  so  tight  as  if 
about  to  snap.  After  placing  his  spectacles  on  his 
thin,  well-formed  nose,  he  read  his  text  with  an  em- 
phasis that  was  in  itself  half  an  explanation  of  the 
verse. 

"  The  subject-matter  of  the  discourse  was  the  Divin- 
ity of  Christ. 

"  Within  a  few  yards  of  the  platform  there  were 
several  open  carriages,  and  in  the  midst  was  one 
which  was  occupied  by  the  professors  of  Lampeter 
College,  viz.,  the  late  Dr.  Llewellyn,  grandson  of  the 
celebrated  Jones  of  Llangan,  the  late  Professor  Rice 
Bees,  and  Dr.  Olyphant,  the  present  bishop  of  Lan- 
daff.     The  first  two  gentlemen  understood  enough  of 


Wales  as  it  was,  and  as  it  is.       41 

Welsh  to  appreciate  all  that  was  said  by  the  eloquent 
divine.  The  bishop,  too,  understood  a  little  Welsh, 
and  he  was  anxious  to  increase  his  knowledge  of  the 
old  language. 

"  During  the  delivery  of  the  sermon  he  proposed  a 
new  translation  of  one  of  the  verses  which  he  quoted, 
in  order  to  prove  his  point  and  with  a  view  of  estab- 
lishing his  position.  Then,  to  avoid  the  appearance 
and  to  escape  the  charge  of  assuming  a  larger  measure 
of  classical  knowledge,  he  confessed  that  his  knowledge 
of  the  original  language  of  Scriptures  did  not  extend 
beyond  the  ability  to  read  Greek  and  Hebrew,  and  the 
power  of  determining  the  meaning  of  words.  '  But, ' 
he  said,  '  I  am  happy  to  know  that  there  are  present, 
and  that  not  very  far  from  me,  a  number  of  scholarly 
gentlemen  who  could  judge  whether  the  translation  or 
the  improvement  which  I  suggest  is  in  accordance  with 
the  laws  and  grammar  of  the  language. ' 

"  Then  with  that  eagle  eye  of  his  he  looked  at  the 
occupants  of  those  carriages,  and,  like  a  courtier, 
bowed  respectfully ;  and  they,  like  courtiers,  bowed 
their  heads  as  a  sign  that  they  consented  to  the  pro- 
posed translation.  Then  he  proceeded  arguing  every 
inch  of  the  ground  he  proposed  to  tread  in  order  to 
establish  his  premises;  and  tho  his  style  necessi- 
tated the  closest  attention,  lest  by  missing  one  obser- 
vation or  failing  to  comprehend  some  portion  of  the 
discourse,   one  might  fail  to  see  the  propriety  and 


42  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

beauty  of  his  conclusions,  yet  the  illiterate  watched 
and  followed  him  while  he  connected  link  with  link 
in  the  chain  of  argument.  The  sermon  was  over,  the 
preacher  had  nothing  more  to  do  beyond  drawing  two 
inferences.  '  First,  if  we,  the  Trinitarians,  as  we  are 
called,  do  err,  we  are  guilty  of  idolatry.'  Then,  in 
his  inimitable  style,  he  gave  a  list  of  the  most  awful 
curses  contained  in  the  Old  Testament  respecting 
idolatry;  this  was  followed  by  a  list  of  the  heaviest 
and  bitterest  judgments  which  were  inflicted  in  times 
past  by  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  upon  those  who  were 
guilty  of  this  most  heinous  practise.  '  Secondly,  on 
the  other  hand,  if  we  are  orthodox,  what  shall  I  say 
of  our  opponents? ' 

"By  my  side  there  stood  two  Unitarians;  and  as 
soon  as  they  heard  the  wording  of  the  second  applica- 
tion, one  of  them  whispered  in  the  ear  of  his  friend : 
'  Now  for  hell-fire ;  there  is  where  we  shall  be  sent  to, 
my  boy.'  They  appeared  perfectly  defiant  and  even 
profane,  and  yet  at  times  they  seemed  like  evil-doers 
expecting  the  pronouncement  of  the  verdict. 

"  The  preacher  seemed  like  a  man  whose  bowels  was 
stirred  like  the  waves  of  the  ocean ;  his  lips  tremble 
like  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  and  the  tenderness  itself 
seemed  to  shine  forth  out  of  his  large  eyes.  His  thin, 
beautiful  finger  moved  back  and  forth,  and  he  seemed 
as  if  he  were  about  to  collapse  through  a  desire  to  say 
and  inability  to  say ;  as  if  his  organs  of  speech  declined 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  43 

to  give  their  usual  services  to  enable  of  proclaiming 
that  which  he  felt ;  while  at  the  time  his  spirit  seemed 
overwhelmed  with  the  weight  of  the  burden.  *How 
can  I  set  forth  the  condition  of  these  people, '  he  asked. 
'Where  can  I  find  a  comparison  sufficiently  striking 
and  piercing  to  set  forth  their  condition?  Where  can 
I  get  adjectives  sufficiently  powerful  to  set  forth  their 
spiritual  state?  I  fear  '  (then  the  impediment  of 
speech  returned,  and  the  finger  moves  back  and  fore 
swifter  and  swifter),  '  I  fear '  (impediment  of  speech 
again,  and  the  finger  still  at  work,  followed  by  sighs 
that  reached  the  very  depths  of  his  nature)  *  that  they 
are  erring.' 

"  I  happened  to  look  at  the  profane  Unitarian  who 
stood  by  me,  and  I  saw  that  the  tear  had  frozen  in  his 
eye,  and  I  heard  him  say :  '  Boys,  this  is  fearful ' ; 
for  in  the  estimation  of  the  Unitarians  nothing  can 
be  more  dangerous  than  heterodoxy.  Where  was  the 
preacher?  He  had  disappeared  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning, and  I  saw  him  no  more.  What  of  the  people? 
They  were  struck  dumb  with  surprise,  and  for  a  few 
seconds  were  unable  to  separate,  seeming  to  be  strug- 
glng  to  regain  their  self-possession. " 

What  was  the  secret  of  these  men's  success?  They 
were  not  what  may  be  termed  educated  men.  So  far  as 
I  can  gather,  they  had  no  coherent,  philosophic  system 
of  study.  They  had  not  been  in  any  school  of  ora- 
tory :  there  was  none  available ;  and  if  there  had  been 


44  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  Il§. 

these  men  did  not  have  the  means.  Their  main  pur- 
pose was  to  preach  what  they  had  found  in  the  Bible. 
They  had  familiarized  themselves  with  Puritan  dog- 
matics, and,  to  some  extent,  with  German  exegesis; 
they  sought  out  the  best  thoughts  of  all  men  of  all 
times;  but  the  essence  of  their  power  lay  in  their 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Bible.  They  had 
what  may  be  termed  a  geographical,  geological,  and 
astronomical  knowledge  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  As 
a  rule,  they  discoursed  upon  the  central  themes  of  the 
Gospel — the  atonement,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  the 
judgment,  etc.,  in  addition  to  which,  they  were  men  of 
true  dramatic  genius  and  great  analytical  ability. 
Their  self-possession  was  simply  marvelous;  while 
vast  audiences  failed  to  contain  themselves,  and 
men  who  had  defied  every  dispensation  cried  and 
swooned,  these  preachers  controlled  themselves  abso- 
lutely. Their  voices,  which  possessed  great  compass 
and  melody,  could  be  heard  from  afar  expressing  with 
the  nicest  modulation  all  the  varying  moods  of  their 
minds.  And  above  all,  they  were  holy  men.  Eobert 
Roberts  composed  a  sermon  while  rolling  on  the 
ground  all  night,  agonizing  for  a  message  from  God. 
The  chair  on  which  John  Elias  sat,  as  well  as  the 
floor  of  his  study,  bears  the  marks  of  strong  tears. 
When  they  appeared  before  the  people,  their  preach- 
ing was  irresistible.  They  had  no  organs,  no  build- 
ings of  Gothic  or  Norman  architecture,  no  marble  pul- 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  45 

pits,  and  no  enchanting  music.  The  surroundings 
were  of  the  simplest  kind.  It  has  been  asked,  with 
something  of  prejudice  in  the  question,  whether  the 
Welsh  pulpit  has  not  deteriorated.  The  Welsh  ^^eo- 
ple  have  deteriorated;  those  at  home  some,  those 
abroad  a  good  deal  more.  It  is  more  difficult  now 
than  ever  to  make  an  impression  upon  a  Welsh 
audience  on  their  native  heath ;  but  ten  times  more 
difficult  to  make  an  impression  upon  the  Welsh  in 
foreign  lands.  They  sesm  to  have  lost  the  ancient 
simplicity  of  the  race.  They  are  more  materialistic, 
having  a  greater  passion  for  making  money,  so  that 
religion  is  often  made  a  secondary  and  even  a  third- 
rate  question.  And  what  is  very  wonderful  is  this : 
many  of  the  preachers  who  have  emigrated  to  foreign 
countries  have  lost  a  little  of  the  old  passion  and 
enthusiasm  in  preaching.  It  seems  to  me  that  there 
is  in  process  a  general  weakening  of  human  sensibility 
— sensibility  to  what  is  tender,  holy,  religious.  I  do 
not  mean  among  the  Welsh  merely,  but  among  all 
nations.  In  general  culture,  knowledge,  and  classical 
learning  the  present  generation  of  Welsh  preachers 
excels  the  old ;  but  in  sheer  natural  ability,  force  of 
character,  acquaintance  with  the  Bible,  personal  con- 
secration, and  the  habit  of  making  private  prayer  an 
auxiliary  to  the  sermon,  the  old  preachers  surpass  the 
present.  There  can  be  no  argument  concerning  this. 
Still,  justice  requires  admission  of  the  facts  that  in 


46  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

olden  times  the  pulpit  was  the  only  means  of  religious 
knowledge  available  to  the  masses,  and  that  material 
civilization  was  that  in  a  much  more  backward  state. 
Such  facts  should  be  taken  into  consideration  in  esti- 
mating the  difference  between  the  authority  and  influ- 
ence of  the  Welsh  pulpit  of  the  present  day  with  those 
of  the  Welsh  pulpit  of  fifty  or  sixty  or  a  hundred  years 
ago,  or  even  of  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 

But  in  order  to  fully  gage  the  real  influence  of  the 
Welsh  pulpit  upon  Welsh  life  and  character,  we  must 
not  confine  our  attention  to  the  religious  world.  The 
Welsh  clergy  were  more  than  preachers;  they  were 
educators.  As  the  great  statesmen  and  great  scholars 
of  the  Middle  Ages  were  mostly  ecclesiastical  men,  so 
it  may  be  said  that  the  pioneers  of  secular  education  in 
the  principality  of  Wales  were  largely  found  among  the 
preachers  of  the  Gospel.  Their  interest  in  the  people 
was  of  the  deepest  and  broadest  character.  They  led 
the  way  in  the  press,  in  the  founding  of  schools,  and  in 
the  preservation  of  social  order.  They  were  the  men 
who  really  shaped  the  destiny  of  the  people.  When,  in 
the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  the  clergy,  under  penalty  of 
suppression,  were  compelled  to  announce  in  their  re- 
spective churches  on  Sundays  the  King's  declaration 
respecting  the  provisions  made  to  provide  sports  and 
amusements  for  the  public,  several  of  these  clergymen 
declined  to  do  so,  and  were  accordingly  expelled ;  and 
by  their  expulsion  the  seeds  of  Non-conformity  were 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  47 

sown.  This  dawned  with  the  martyrdom  of  John 
Penry,  and  it  has  been  the  mainstay  of  religious  and 
social  order  in  the  principality.  The  rise  and  progress 
of  Non-conformity  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  relig- 
ious*movements  of  the  century. 

In  what  departments  are  we  to  look  for  the  fruits  of 
their  labors  ?  They  are  found  in  the  field  of  education. 
The  pulpit  has  been  charged  with  having  neglected 
the  culture  of  the  national  character.  But  the  charge 
is  unjust.  The  clergy  had  to  take  the  people  as  they 
found  them — in  a  state  of  semi-barbarism,  ignorance, 
superstition,  and  sin.  The  first  step  was  to  evangelize 
them.  It  was  too  soon  then  to  talk  about  the  culture 
of  the  national  character.  That  was  to  come.  The 
preachers  were  in  their  turn  preparing  the  way  for  it. 
Now  that  work  is  proceeding  in  earnest.  The  educa- 
tional system  of  Wales  at  the  present  time  is  nearer 
perfection  than  any  other  in  Great  Britain.  There  are 
the  board  schools,  the  intermediate  schools,  and  the 
three  universities,  with  the  senate,  composed  of  the 
teaching  staff  of  these  universities.  The  expenses  of 
the  students  at  these  universities  are  small  com- 
pared with  those  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge ;  they  do 
not  exceed  two  hundred  dollars  per  session.  Those 
who  go  to  Oxford  and  Cambridge  as  unattached,  for 
the  sake  of  economy,  would  do  very  much  better  if 
they  came  to  these  Welsh  universities.  Aberystwith 
University,  principal  of  which  is  Rev.  T.  F.  Rob- 


48  WALES  AS  IT   WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

erts,  M.A.,  has  done  some  very  distinguished  work. 
The  pulpit  had  for  generations  drawn  to  itself  the 
best  intellect  of  the  nation.  It  was  practically  the 
only  sphere  in  which  a  Welshman  could  distinguish 
himself.  Now  all  is  changed.  The  children  of  Wales 
have  at  last  been  placed  on  an  equal  footing  with  their 
Saxon  neighbors ;  and  the  historian  of  the  twentieth 
century  will  have  to  record  the  deeds  of  Welsh  men 
and  women  in  the  fields  of  science,  literature,  politics, 
and  learning.  Proofs  of  this  have  already  been  sup- 
plied. It  is  truly  wonderful  when  we  note  the  fact 
that  even  as  late  as  1837 — sixty-one  years  ago — com- 
merce in  Wales  was  in  a  low  condition ;  political  feel- 
ing was  wellnigh  unknown;  literature,  except  the 
purely  denominational  form  of  it,  was  dormant;  no 
newspaper  could  exist ;  efficient  day  schools  were  few. 
People  got  the  news  from  stocking-sellers  and  flan- 
nel-weavers. These  made  their  rounds  twice  in  the 
year — about  May  and  September.  If  any  one  desired 
to  see  the  doctor,  or  the  lawyer,  or  the  squire,  the  most 
likely  place  to  find  him  was  the  public  house. 

Who  and  what  were  the  schoolmasters?  They 
were  men  of  little  education  or  culture  of  any  kind. 
There  were  no  colleges  in  which  masters  could  be 
trained,  and  any  one  in  the  shape  of  a  man  was 
deemed  fit  to  teach  children.  Some  of  these  masters 
were  old  soldiers  who  had  returned  from  war  with  a 
broken  leg  or  arm,  or  with  one  eye  missing ;  others 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.         49 

were  broken-down  butchers,  clerks,  and  shopkeepers 
— their  only  recommendation  being  that  they  had 
failed  at  almost  everything  else.  And  what  was  the 
character  of  the  buildings  in  which  these  schools  were 
held?  As  a  rule,  they  were  old,  dilapidated  houses, 
with  any  and  every  kind  of  roofing,  and  with  nothing 
but  the  bare,  cold  earth  to  stand  upon ;  there  were  no 
desks  nor  books.  The  children  had  to  turn  their  forms 
into  desks,  and  to  write  in  their  spelling-books  while 
kneeling  on  the  damp,  cold  earth.  There  were  no 
maps ;  and  the  children  knew  no  more  about  geography 
than  a  shepherd's  dog  knows  of  the  difference  between 
a  sovereign  and  a  five-shilling  piece.  The  schools 
were  often  held  in  chapels  and  churches  without  fire 
or  ventilation  or  any  conveniences. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  describe  briefly  some  of 
the  methods  adopted  to  teach  English  to  the  children. 
One  afternoon  in  every  week  was  devoted  to  the  prac- 
tise of  ''  posing. "  The  children  stood  in  a  circle,  and 
the  foremost  boy  or  girl  challenged  the  whole  rank  to 
give  the  English  equivalent  for  a  Welsh  word  or  ex- 
pression. If  it  was  given,  the  challenger  was  consid- 
ered vanquished,  and  had  to  take  his  seat;  but  if  it 
was  not  given,  he  kept  his  place.  Then  the  next  in 
the  row  did  the  same,  and  so  on,  the  practise  often 
lasting  for  an  hour  or  two ;  and  the  victor,  at  the  close, 
adorning  his  hat  or  cap  with  cockades  made  from  the 
leaves  of  the  copy-books.  How  the  farm-servants,  in 
4 


50  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

their  ignorance  and  superstition,  used  to  gape  at  the 
victor  as  he  went  along  the  road!  And  how  the 
parent  used  to  leap  with  joy  as  the  child  entered 
the  little  village,  or  the  thatched  cottage  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill! 

Another  mode  of  teaching  English  in  these  primi- 
tive schools  was  by  means  of  the  "Welsh  stick,"  or 
the  "  Welsh  note, "  as  it  was  called.  This  was  a  piece 
of  wood  about  one  inch  thick  and  three  inches  long. 
The  letters  "  W.  N. "  were  either  burned  into  the  wood 
or  cut  with  a  knife,  and  then  inked,  the  letters  "  W. 
N."  standing  for  the  words  "Welsh  Note,"  because 
the  children  were  supposed  not  to  speak  Welsh.  And 
I  need  hardly  say  that,  between  tale-bearers  and  cul- 
prits, the  stick  was  in  constant  use.  It  was  very 
amusing  to  see  boys  tempting  each  other  to  speak 
Welsh  by  pinching,  that  they  might  vent  their  feel- 
ings in  the  vernacular;  or  by  so  prolonging  the  con- 
versation that  their  stock  of  English  words  would  be 
exhausted.  A  ruder  or  more  primitive  mode  of  teach- 
ing English  is  hardly  conceivable ;  but  it  shows  that, 
in  those  dark  and  cloudy  days,  there  was  some  desire 
to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  that  language  which  is  des- 
tined to  become  the  one  common  medium  of  interna- 
tional intercourse  among  the  civilized  nations  of  the 
world. 

But  there  has  been  a  wonderful  development  since 
then  in  all  branches   of  knowledge   and   industry. 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  61 

There  is  more  enterprise  and  intelligence,  broader 
conceptions  of  life,  and  a  higher  state  of  morality. 
Miners,  farmers,  skilled  and  unskilled  workmen  can 
discuss  with  considerable  ability  such  questions  as  the 
nature  of  the  soul,  the  origin  of  evil,  the  identity  of 
the  human  body  at  the  resurrection,  the  freedom  of 
the  will,  etc.  There  is  not  a  single  parish  without  a 
Sunday  school  or  schools.  These  represent  over  thirty- 
four  per  cent,  of  the  population.  So  far  as  religious 
knowledge  is  concerned,  the  Welsh,  taken  as  a  body 
of  people,  are  with  the  exception  of  the  Scotch,  the 
best  informed  in  Christendom.  There  are  12,000 
books  in  the  Welsh  language  to-day,  and  among  them 
there  is  not  a  single  original  skeptical  or  infidel  work. 
There  is  one  translation  of  a  skeptical  character,  but 
it  has  had  no  sale ;  it  had  to  be  given  away.  There 
are  22  weekly  newspapers  in  the  Welsh  language  with 
a  circulation  of  40,000  per  week.  There  are  25 
monthly  periodicals  and  several  quarterly  reviews,  one 
of  them  having  a  circulation  of  37, 760.  Welsh  readers 
to-day  spend  $800,000  per  annum  on  strictly  Welsh 
literature :  not  on  daily  papers  or  novels,  but  on  solid 
literature.  There  are  also  several  weekly  papers  with 
very  large  circulations.  Besides,  they  support  2  Eng- 
lish morning  papers,  6  English  evening  papers,  and  80 
English  weeklies. 

There  have  been  long  and  sad  gaps  in  the  literary 
life  of  the  Welsh.     W^hen  the  people  were  disposed 


52  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

to  read,  there  was  nothing  to  read.  There  are  but 
few  nations  who  have  during  their  whole  existence 
really  thought  and  written.  Take  the  Germans,  as  an 
instance;  they  have  scarcely  any  literature  for  two 
centuries  (1550-1750).  The  only  exceptions  to  this 
rule  are  ancient  Greece,  modern  France,  and  England. 
And  it  can  be  said  of  the  Welsh  as  of  the  English,  a 
great  deal  of  what  has  been  written  is  worthless — • 
worthless  because  written  on  purely  denominational 
subjects  by  men  of  no  education  or  literary  ability. 
But  the  Welsh,  as  a  people,  are  imbued  with  literary 
tastes,  and  are  at  the  present  time  using  these  tastes 
in  higher  and  broader  spheres  of  learning. 

Let  me  now  call  your  attention  to  the  great  social 
changes  in  the  life  of  the  Welsh  people.  In  olden 
times  a  nearer  relationship  existed  between  master 
and  servant,  mistress  and  maid.  But  to-day  far  better 
wages  are  paid,  and  the  general  condition  of  the  work- 
ing class  as  regards  remuneration,  political  liberty, 
freedom  of  speech,  social  privileges,  etc.,  has  vastly 
improved.  Many  of  the  workmen  of  America,  especi- 
ally the  miners  of  Pennsylvania,  are  in  a  condition  of 
serfdom  as  compared  with  Welsh  miners. 

There  remain  very  few  of  the  old  whitewashed 
thatched  cottages,  with  the  large  fireplaces  and  the 
wide-open  chimneys — the  old  oak  arm-chair  on  one  side 
of  the  fireplace  and  the  long  form  on  the  other.  Here 
friends  and  neighbors  used  to  congregate  to  relate  all 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  63 

manner  of  ghost-stories,  etc.,  and  to  discuss  all  sorts 
of  theological  questions.  There  are  no  longer  any 
Christmas  feasts  in  public  houses,  to  watch  the  dawn 
of  day,  with  story-telling,  harp-playing,  and  singing 
such  songs  as  the  "Men  of  Harlech"  and  "Ash 
Grove,"  followed  by  a  big  feast.  Not  many  Welsh- 
women are  now  seen  wearing  the  old  Welsh  costume 
consisting  of  short  flannel  skirt,  either  of  dark  red  or 
gray,  and  on  their  heads  pretty  caps  tied  with  fancy 
ribbons,  and  over  them  the  tall  glossy  beaver  hat. 

The   same  thing  is  true  in  regard  to  foods,  and 
drink.     Years  ago,  barley  bread  and  oatmeal  bread 
were  in  great  repute,  also  all  manner  of  food  made  of 
oats,  such  as  grits,  porridge,  and  glumnery.     But  the 
Welsh  of  to-day  do  not  care  much  about  spoon  food  of 
any  kind.     They  have  been  taught  by  the  English  to 
eat  meat  and  white  bread,  and  to  indulge  occasion- 
ally in  unwholesome  and  unnecessary  luxuries.     The 
old  people  had  no  confidence  in  any  material   but 
sheep's  wool.     The  clothing  of  the  men  and  women 
was  made  out  of  homespun  cloth  and  colored  flannel, 
with  but   little  linen   interwoven  with  them.     Now 
the  Welsh  dress  more  like  the  English.     Many— not 
•    all,  not  even  the  majority,  but  a  great  many— buy 
clothes  of  flimsy  and  unserviceable  material  simply 
for  show  and  appearance.     Most  assuredly,  the  Welsh- 
man has  already  fallen  from  the  simplicity  of  his  old 
and  long-lived  ancestors.     He  likes  the  country  less 


54         WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

and  less,  and  town  life  more  and  more.  His  ideas 
and  manners  have  changed  considerably,  and  in  many 
respects  for  the  worse.  Though  there  is  a  higher  and 
better  type  of  domestic  discipline  in  Wales  than  in 
any  other  country,  more  obedience  and  reverence  and 
humility  among  children  there  than  throughout  the 
world,  still,  home  life  is  not  exactly  what  it  was ;  there 
is  not  the  same  stern  severe  life  which  did  so  much  for 
the  country  and  its  people.  Not  many  parents  ^and  I 
am  glad  of  this — now  pronounce  eternal  damnation 
over  the  son  or  daughter  who  dares  to  read  Scott  or 
Thackeray  or  Dickens  or  Shakespeare.  But  dancing  is 
still  held  to  be  a  sin.  The  Welsh  have  been  for  years 
stoutly  opposed  to  this  practice.  They  have  kept  it 
out  of  their  churches  and  have  discouraged  it  among 
their  members.  The  churches  have  no  need  to  adver- 
tise themselves,  or  to  seek  patronage  or  raise  money, 
by  such  expediences.  Welsh  non-conformity  is  based 
on  a  better  foundation.  Moreover,  the  Welsh  nature 
as  such  resents  it.  Why  ?  In  olden  times  the  Welsh 
were  regarded  as  excellent  dancers.  Owen  Tudor 
was  invited  to  dance  some  of  the  dances  of  Wales  be- 
fore Katherine,  the  beautiful  widow  of  Henry  V. 
While  the  handsome  young  Welshman  was  dancing 
one  of  his  wild  reels,  he  fell  against  the  Queen.  He 
began  to  apologize ;  but  the  Queen,  with  a  bewitching 
smile,  said  that  she  was  not  offended ;  it  would  only 
increase  her  pleasure  if  he  would  repeat  it.   -  She  was 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  55 

in  love  with  the  handsome  Welshman;  and  later  on 
Katherine  and  Tudor  were  married.  But  the  Welsh 
people,  known  as  such  excellent  dancers,  renounced 
it  completely  during  the  revival  periods.  The  chief 
cause  of  that  renunciation  was :  The  dancing  classes 
and  dancing  festivals  which  used  to  be  such  a  feature 
of  Welsh  social  life  degenerated  at  last  into  drunken 
orgies;  they  led  to  scenes  which  can  not  be  described. 
These  scenes  created  a  revulsion  of  feeling  in  the  minds 
of  the  Welsh  themselves.  Thus  they  began  to  abhor 
dancing  on  account  of  the  possibilities  of  evil  which 
were  involved  in  it. 

There  has  come  into  Wales,  and  is  constantly  com- 
ing, a  new  kind  of  life  and  a  new  set  of  men.  The 
old  peasant  life  as  it  existed  generations  ago  is  now 
fast  dying  out.  These  changes  are  due  to  the  influ- 
ences of  our  railroad  system,  education,  the  press,  and 
other  things. 

Some  one  has  said  that  a  people's  psychology  is  to 
be  found  in  their  literature.  But  the  great  bulk  of 
Welsh  literature  is  in  the  vernacular.  Foreigners, 
therefore,  can  not  be  blamed  for  not  understanding 
the  Welsh,  who  thus  have  been  an  underrated  race 
from  time  immemorial.  They  have  always  used  for 
literary  purposes  a  language  not  commonly  under- 
stood. They  have  done  so  on  account  of  the  mistaken 
idea  that  a  distinctive  language  is  essential  to  nation- 
ality.    How   is  it  possible,   therefore,   for  the  Eng- 


56  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

lish  to  reciprocate  the  intense  enthusiasm  which  the 
Welsh  never  fail  to  manifest  when  speaking  of  their 
great  preachers,  poets,  warriors,  and  musicians?  Scott 
was  prudent  enough  to  idealize  Scottish  national  life 
in  the  English  language.  If  he  had  used  Gaelic, 
he  would  have  extinguished  himself  and  his  ideas. 
The  same  thing  would  be  true  of  Loti  if  he  had  used 
the  Brythonic  language.  But  the  writers  of  Brittany 
and  of  Scotland  have  sent  out  to  the  world  their  pro- 
ductions in  the  language  of  the  largest  of  all  reading 
constituencies.  This  is  the  reason  why  Wales,  and 
the  Welsh  with  their  true  idiosyncrasies,  are  not  more 
familiar  to  the  English  reading  public.  This  is  the 
suicidal  policy  which  the  Welsh  people  themselves 
have  adopted  throughout  the  ages.  Whoever  wants  to 
know  the  real  inner  life  of  the  Welsh  race  must  seek 
it  under  cover  of  that  venerable  old  language  which 
many  think — but  think  wrongly — is  made  up  of  noth- 
ing but  consonants. 

"What  view  have  we  of  the  people's  psychology  in 
Welsh  literature?  What  are  the  characteristics  of  the 
"Welsh?  They  have  a  remarkable  fondness  and  capac- 
ity for  music,  and  an  inherent  love  of  liberty.  They 
are  clean  in  their  habits,  industrious,  attached  to 
home,  law-abiding,  economical,  and  can  live  on  very 
much  less  than  English  people,  because  they  are  less 
extravagant.  They  dislike  theatres,  sports,  and  races. 
As  a  nation   they  are  sober,  humorous,  and  patient 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.         67 

to  their  own  hurt.  They  are  possessed  of  the  vir- 
tues cf  religion  and  hospitality  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  A  gentleman  from  Minnesota,  after  an 
absence  of  twenty-eight  years,  visited  Dollgelly,  in 
North  Wales,  in  order  to  see  a  lady  who  had  helped 
him  to  the  depot  when  the  family  emigrated  to  the 
States.  The  lady  was  now  old,  and  did  not  recognize 
the  stranger.  She  invited  him  into  the  house,  and 
asked  him  where  he  had  come  from.  When  he  re- 
plied, "From  America,"  she  at  once  exclaimed,  "Dear 
me,  you  must  feel  hungry !" — and  began  to  prepare  the 
table.  That  is  the  Welsh  character  in  a  nutshell.  It 
matters  not  what  time  of  the  day  you  call,  the  native 
Welsh  are  neither  too  indolent  nor  too  busy  to  pro- 
vide you  with  a  meal.  They  are  naturally  blessed 
with  the  gift  of  ready  and  expressive  speech ;  but  they 
are  impulsive,  and,  like  the  Germans,  have  a  tendency 
to  be  obstinate — far  more  gifted  with  the  perception 
of  differences  between  themselves  and  others  than 
with  the  recognition  of  similarities  and  agreements ; 
having  but  a  feeble  sense  of  mutual  forbearance;  de- 
void of  that  enterprising  spirit  which  is  characteristic 
of  John  Bull;  envious  and  vindictive;  more  religious 
than  moral.  No  nation  under  heaven  has  made  greater 
strides  in  Christianity,  yet  it  is  in  a  backward  state  as 
regards  material  civilizations.  The  people  are  only 
just  beginning  to  realize  the  blessings  of  material 
civilization.     Advanced  methods  of  farming,  etc.,  are 


58  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

being  introduced.  Technical  education  is  being  widely- 
recommended,  thio  it  is  to  be  feared  that  their  ma- 
terial advancement  may  have  an  adverse  effect  upon 
their  religious  life. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  social  phenomena  of  our 
times  is  the  present  national  reawakening  in  Wales. 
The  sentiment  of  nationality  is  not  a  new  thing  in  the 
history  of  the  Welsh.  Caesar  and  Augustine  and  Ed- 
ward I.  discovered  it  in  a  very  advanced  stage.  It 
was  the  one  supreme  idea  which  controlled  their 
actions.  Centuries  of  bloody  wars,  bribing,  and  blan- 
dishment failed  to  crush  it.  It  is  here  still,  and  to 
all  appearances  here  it  will  remain.  There  is,  how- 
ever, this  difference  about  it :  whereas  this  sentiment 
of  nationality  used  to  be  anti-English,  anti-British, 
and  anti-imperialistic,  it  is  now  pro-English,  pro- 
British,  and  pro-imperialistic.  The  Welsh  at  home  are 
no  longer  animated  by  a  feeling  of  exclusiveuess  toward 
and  dislike  of  the  Saxon  and  his  ways.  Consolidation 
has  been  substituted  for  isolation.  The  Welshman 
is  now  proud  of  Britain  and  the  British.  His  desire 
is  to  stand  side  by  side  with  Scotland  and  England, 
and  even  Ireland,  if  she  behaves  herself :  not  because 
he  is  less  of  a  Welshman,  but  because  he  is  a  better 
Welshman.  He  has  more  knowledge ;  his  sympathies 
are  broader  and  more  enlightened;  long  and  bitter 
experience  has  taught  him  to  be  a  friend  to  himself. 
He  is  becoming  increasingly  loyal,  while  at  the  same 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  59 

time  growing  in  patriotism.  These  are  the  two  forces 
that  have  been  at  work  throughout  Great  Britain — cen- 
tripetal and  centrifugal.  In  proportion  as  our  colo- 
nies become  autonomous  they  draw  near  the  throne. 
The  same  is  true  of  Italy,  Germany,  and  the  United 
States.  Italy  has  become  one,  and  Germany  has  be- 
come one.  How?  Not  by  an  oppressive  and  artificial 
uniformity,  but  by  a  many-sided  federal  unity.  Eng- 
lish statesmen  have  for  generations  labored  under  the 
mistaken  notion  that  all  peoples  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  British  Empire  ought  to  be  content  to  be 
governed  by  and  conform  to  purely  British,  or  rather 
English,  ideas.  This  has  been  the  keynote  of  all  their 
legislative  enactments ;  and  they  have  sought  to  enforce 
them  by  questionable  and  often  brutal  methods.  But 
our  present-day  statesmen  of  both  political  parties  are 
beginning  to  realize  that  it  is  a  mistaken  policy ;  that 
it  is  a  policy  fatal  to  the  interests  of  the  Empire. 
Her  strength  lies  in  the  sympathy  of  her  colonies. 
The  Welsh  people  claim  that  the  distinctive  life  of 
Wales  should  be  fostered;  that  there  should  be  no 
attempt  to  force  English  peculiarities  upon  the  nation. 
They  claim  for  Wales  representation  on  the  royal 
shield,  standard,  and  currency  of  the  United  King- 
dom. Wales  is  the  only  nation  in  Europe  tiiat  has  no 
distinctive  blazon  to  exhibit  to  the  world.  There  is 
room  for  it  on  the  royal  standard.  The  sign  Welsh- 
men ask  for  is  Arthur's  dragon  or  Llewellyn's  lions. 


60  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

They  claim  that  either  one  of  these  should  stand  beside 
the  chosen  ensigns  of  the  other  three  nations  compo- 
sing the  United  Kingdom.  It  is  not  an  unreasonable 
request ;  and  it  is  asked  as  a  pledge  of  peace  and  loy- 
alty to  an  ancient  foe,  as  well  as  an  acknowledgment 
of  the  distinctive  identity  of  the  Welsh  race.  There 
is  going  on  in  Wales  at  the  present  moment  a  strong 
agitation  for  the  recognition  of  Wales  as  an  integral 
unit  requiring  separate  treatment  in  legislation  and 
administration. 

Then  there  is  a  revival  of  interest  in  the  Welsh 
language  and  literature.  Welshmen  are  at  last  alive 
to  the  fact  that  their  ancient  literary  remains,  both  in 
history  and  poetry,  have  a  value  which  makes  them 
objects  of  interest  to  themselves  and  to  other  nations. 

There  is  more  Welsh  spoken  in  Wales  to-day  than 
ever  before.  It  has  been  made  more  a  matter  of  neces- 
sity in  labor,  education,  law,  r.nd  ecclesiastical  organi- 
zation. The  earliest  statutory  recognition  of  the  Welsh 
language  in  civil  affairs  was  when  Queen  Victoria, 
ten  .days  after  her  accession,  June  30,  1837,  signed  a 
bill  which  sanctioned  the  substitution  of  Welsh  for 
English  in  the  words  of  declaration  and  contract 
which  made  marriage  legal.  It  was  a  new  departure  j 
and  the  recognition  has  gone  on  ever  since,  so  that 
now  knowledge  of  Welsh  is  essential  to  obtain  many 
government  appointments  and  in  several  matters  af- 
fecting the  state  church.    No  one  claims  that  Welsh 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  61 

can  ever  become  the  language  of  commerce  or  of  sci- 
ence. It  is  incapable  of  rendering  such  a  service.  It 
is  deficient  in  technical  terms.  It  is  essentially  the 
language  of  poetry,  music,  and  religion.  Beyond 
these,  it  can  not  go. 

In  literature  and  in  art  this  awakening  has  resulted 
in  the  reestablishment  of  Eisteddfodaii  and  in  a  re- 
newed desire  for  the  cultivation  of  art  and  the  dis- 
semination of  Welsh  influence. 

British  statesmen  no  longer  deem  it  unnecessary  to 
trouble  themselves  to  ascertain  what  Welshmen  think 
about  social  and  imperial  matters.  Welshmen  have 
votes,  and,  what  is  better,  they  know  how  to  use  them. 
They  seem  to  be  gradually  regaining  the  old  spirit  of 
self-assertion  so  characteristic  of  the  nation  before  the 
Conquest.  In  the  United  States  the  Welsh  and  their 
descendants  number  about  a  million ;  but  even  where 
they  are  in  a  majority  they  are  not  in  power.  There 
are  one  or  two  very  insignificant  exceptions.  In  all  the 
great  American  cities.  East  and  West,  the  government 
is  in  the  hands  of  Germans  and  Irish  Catholics.  The 
Welsh  do  not  count.  Their  votes  are  eagerly  sought, 
but  they  are  kept  out  of  office.  It  almost  seems  as  if 
they  had  lost  the  spirit  of  self-assertion  with  their  in- 
dependence. 

What  part  have  the  Welsh  played  in  the  making  of 
American  history?  What  contributions  have  they 
made  to  the  departments  of  theology,  science,  educa- 


62  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

tion,  medicine,  missions,  religion,  and  politics?  Be- 
fore the  year  1830  the  Welsh  knew  next  to  nothing 
about  politics.  Their  representatives  in  Parliament 
were  mere  landlords  and  squires  who  could  neither 
speak  nor  think  for  themselves,  and  who  took  no  inter- 
est in  the  common  people.  Now  it  would  be  impossible 
to  find  a  constituency  in  any  part  of  Great  Britain  that 
can  teach  the  Welsh  how  to  vote  or  how  to  understand 
some  question  of  national  or  iuternational  politics. 
Among  the  thirty-four  representatives  are  men  who 
possess  a  genuine  grasp  of  statesmanship,  and  who 
have  shown  the  qualities  of  an  orator.  I  refer  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Ellis,  the  chief  Liberal  Whig,  and  Mr.  Lloyd 
George.  There  are  others,  like  Mr.  D.  A.  Thomas, 
Mr.  Herbert  Lewis,  and  Mr.  W.  Abrahams,  who  have 
proved  themselves  to  be  men  of  power  and  understand- 
ing. Now  the  Welsh  nation  is  in  a  position  to  de- 
mand, and  does  demand,  a  hearing  in  the  British 
House  of  Commons. 

Several  of  the  most  important  pulpits  in  London 
aud  the  provincial  cities  and  towns  are  occupied  by 
Welshmen  of  humble  origin  and  birth.  They  are 
men  of  considerable  intellectual  attainments,  and 
blessed  with  the  gift  of  speech. 

George  Herbert,  the  hymnologist,  was  a  Welshman. 
So  was  Mr.  Burne-Jones,  the  celebrated  artist,  and 
Mr.  H.  M.  Stanley,  the  African  explorer.  I  have 
the  honor  of  his  personal  acquaintance.      He   is  a 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  TS.  63 

man  for  whom — and  his  accomplished  wife — I  have 
a  great  and  sincere  admiration.  While  Living- 
stone's interest  in  Africa  was  religious,  Stanley's 
interest  was  geographical.  Livingstone  went  to 
Africa  for  souls;  Stanley  went  there  for  new  maps. 
By  saying  this  I  merely  show  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two.  Livingstone  was  a  great,  high-souled 
missionary.  Stanley,  too,  is  great.  He  has  done 
immense  service  to  Great  Britain,  to  commerce,  to 
civilization,  and,  indirectly,  to  Christianity.  Pro- 
fessor Rhys,  the  widely  known  Oxford  philologist,  is 
a  Welshman,  as  is  also  Dr.  John  Williams,  physician 
to  the  royal  family,  and  Griffith  John,  a  noted  mis- 
sionary in  China. 

It  was  a  Welshman,  an  honored  member  of  the 
English  Episcopal  Church — I  mean  Bishop  Morgan — 
who  gave  to  the  world  the  first  complete  version  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Welsh  tongue.  This  Bible  has  been 
rightly  regarded  as  the  most  important  work  in  the 
language,  even  as  a  literary  production.  It  contains 
the  many  varied  beauties  of  which  the  Welsh  tongue 
is  capable,  with  all  the  characteristics  of  the  Hebrew. 
Critics  whose  knowledge  and  experience  give  weight 
to  their  judgment  do  not  hesitate  to  affirm  that  the 
Welsh  version  approaches  more  closely  to  the  peculiar 
genius  of  the  original  than  does  the  English  version. 
This  is  owing  to  the  nearer  affinity  of  the  Hebrew  to 
the  Welsh  than  to  the  English. 


64  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

If  the  Welsh  translation  or  version  has  any  errors 
at  all — and  it  certainly  has ;  errors  of  an  important 
character — they  are,  broadly  speaking,  inaccuracies  of 
orthography,  and  too  great  a  deference  to  the  author- 
ity of  the  English  translations.  But  it  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  Biblical  culture  at  the  time  the  trans- 
lation was  made  was  in  an  imperfect  state.  Still,  not- 
withstanding the  imperfections  to  which  reference  has 
already  been  made,  and  others  equally  important,  it 
must  be  regarded  as  a  great  work. 

Dr.  Edwards's  book  on  the  Atonement  is  a  valuable 
contribution  to  the  theology  of  that  doctrine;  and  Dr. 
Thomas  Charles  Edwards's  Commentary  on  1  Corin- 
thians, in  scholarship  and  exegesis,  ranks  among 
the  best  commentaries  of  the  day.  In  theological 
grasp,  philosophical  insight,  and  erudition  it  is  equal  to 
the  productions  of  Canon  Westcott  and  Bishop  Light- 
foot.     I  invite  you  to  put  my  statement  to  the  test. 

What  have  the  Welsh  done  for  America?  Was  not 
Roger  Williams,  the  first  to  establish  democracy  on 
the  American  continent,  a  Welshman,  born  in  Wales 
in  the  year  1596?  And  among  those  who  signed  the 
American  Declaration  of  Independence,  no  less  than 
seventeen  were  Welsh  by  birth  and  origin.  There  have 
been  five  Presidents  of  the  United  States  who,  on  good 
historical  grounds,  are  said  to  have  been  of  Welsh 
descent,  Thomas  Jefferson,  James  Madison,  James 
Monroe,  and  William  Henry  Harrison. 


i\\^   Rev.JohnHou;ord  Harris, DD.LLD.  rjJ.O 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,   AND  AS  IT  IS.  65 

Captain  Jones,  commander  of  the  Mayflower,  the 
ship  that  carried  the  Pilgrim  fathers  across  the  ocean  in 
1620  to  their  new  home  in  the  west,  was  a  Welshman. 

Like  other  nations,  we  have  our  faults;  and  some 
of  our  people  abroad  are  not  safe  criterions  by  which 
to  judge  the  nation.  But  I  believe  I  am  echoing  the 
sentiment  of  your  President  and  past  Presidents,  the 
sentiment  of  your  administrations,  public  officers,  prin- 
cipals of  universities,  bankers,  and  all  true  Americans, 
that,  on  the  whole,  they  have  found  the  Welsh,  as  a 
race,  most  desirable  citizens.  They  have  been  indus- 
trious and  law-abiding.  They  have  contributed  to 
the  purification  and  consolidation  of  family  life. 
They  have  drunk  in  the  true  American  spirit — many 
of  them,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  at  the  expense  of  forget- 
ting the  mother-country  that  gave  them  birth,  relig- 
ion, a  Bible,  and  what  education  they  have.  Still 
they  are  people  who  profess  faith  in  God,  duty,  and 
immortality.  They  have  under  the  most  depressing 
conditions  kept  the  lamp  of  truth  burning  in  the  back- 
woods of  America  and  in  the  great  cities  of  the  East 
and  West. 

I  am  far  from  expecting  that  the  Welsh  race,  as  a 
race,  will  attain  to  any  very  great  distinction,  no  mat- 
ter how  much  you  educate  it.  Still,  I  am  sanguine 
enough  to  believe,  and  proofs  of  it  are  already  forth- 
coming, that  by  proper  training  and  imder  wise  lead- 
ership the  Welsh  will  make  a  substantial  contribution 


66  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

toward  the  production  and  formation  of  that  finished 
race  of  men  composed  of  every  nation's  best  which 
ethnological  science  has  ventured  to  predict  shall 
sooner  or  later  make  its  appearance  on  earth. 

I  trust  that  ere  long  a  better  feeling  will  exist  not 
only  between  the  native  Welsh  and  the  Americans, 
but  between  England  and  America.  There  has  been 
too  great  a  disposition,  not  only  in  England,  but  also 
on  the  continent  of  Europe,  to  underrate  America  and 
its  immense  resources.  There  has  also  been  in  Amer- 
ica too  ready  a  disposition  to  glory  in  any  rebuff  or 
loss  or  inconvenience  suffered  by  England  through  the 
jealousy  of  ill-conditioned  and  ill-consolidated  Europe, 
now  longmg  for  her  overthrow.  I  verily  believe  that 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  an  alliance  of  the  two  na- 
tions are  greater  on  your  side  than  on  ours — greater, 
perhaps,  on  account  of  the  Catholic  vote,  the  remem- 
brance of  past  indiscretions  on  the  part  of  English 
statesmen,  and  also  a  lurking  suspicion  that  an  alli- 
ance might  be  good  for  England  but  bad  for  America. 
England' s  neutrality  and  position  in  the  conflict  be- 
tween America  and  Spain  has  been  a  good  thing  for 
America.  It  was  to  her  interest  to  conciliate  Europe ; 
but  she  stood  alone  because  of  her  Christian  abhor- 
rence of  the  cruelty  which  caused  the  war,  and  because 
"  blood  is  thicker  than  water. "  We  and  you  are  of  the 
same  home  and  household;  we  have  a  common  heri- 
tage— the  same  language,  the  same  name,  the  same 


WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS.  67 

crigin,  and  the  same  destiny.  It  is  to  the  interest 
of  civilization,  equality,  justice,  and  religion  that  we 
should  be  united.  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  immortalized 
himself  by  that  speech  the  keynote  of  which  was 
Anglo-Saxondom  the  wide  world  over.  That  signifi- 
cant pronouncement  sent  a  thrill  through  the  world. 
Why?  Because  such  an  alliance  would  be  natural, 
founded  upon  blood,  kinship,  and  mutual  interest. 
Such  an  alliance  would  mean  the  triumph  of  the  demo- 
cratic form  of  government  over  the  monarchical.  It 
would  hasten  the  inevitable  conflict  between  the  two 
governmental  ideals.  It  would  mean  better  times  for 
the  downtrodden  nationalities  of  Europe  and  the  self- 
thralled,  self-abased  peoples  throughout  the  entire 
world.  Such  an  alliance  would  pave  the  way  for  the 
final  consummation  of  that  ideal  state  of  society, 
prophesied  in  the  Word  of  God,  when  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea;  when  peace  shall  reign  supreme,  and  the  tears 
of  the  slave,  the  oppressed,  and  the  poor  shall  be  wiped 
away  by  the  ringing  out  of  the  old  order  of  things  and 
the  ringing  in  of  widespread,  universal  human  better- 
ment. 

The  National  Song  of  Wales. 

"  O  land  of  my  fathers,  the  land  of  the  free, 
The  home  of  the  harp  so  soothing  to  me  ; 
Thy  noble  defenders  were  gallant  and  brave — 


68  WALES  AS  IT  WAS,  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

For  freedom  their  hearts'  life  they  gave. 

Tho  slighted  and  scorned  by  the  proud  and  the  strong, 

The  language  of  Cambria  still  charms  us  in  song. 

The  (awen)  inspiration  survives ; 

Nor  have  envious  tales 

Yet  silenced  the  harp  of  dear  Wales. 

Wales,  Wales, — home,  sweet  home,  is  Wales. 

Till  death  be  past 

My  love  shall  last 

My  longing,  my  yearning  for  Wales. 


LOVE-SERVICES . 

By  Rev.  Ebenezeb   Edwards,    Minersville,  Pa. 

"  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Wheresoever  this  Gospel  shall  be 
preached  in  the  whole  world,  there  shall  also  this,  that  this 
woman  hath  done,  be  told  for  a  memorial  of  her. " — Matt. 
xxvi.  13. 

It  is  well  to  note  the  faith  and  foresight  of  this 
**  Verily,  I  say  "  of  our  Lord.  Already  "  the  shadow  of 
death  "  was  full  in  sight;  but  beyond  His  tomb  Jesus 
clearly  discerned  "the  glories  that  would  follow." 
This  language  implies  the  Eesurrection  and  the  sub- 
sequent commission  to  preach  the  Gospel  throughout 
"  the  whole  world. "  Whatever  else  may  lie  buried  in 
the  grave  of  oblivion,  "  this  Gospel "  must  live  on,  for 
it  is  "the  Gospel  of  Christ."  "Verily,  I  say":  the 
Christ  fully  realized  that  the  "  world  "  would  hate  the 
Gospel,  and  put  to  death  its  faithful  preachers ;  and  yet 
He  says :  "  This  Gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole 
world."  Men  and  demons  may  combine  to  seek  the 
overthrow  of  Christ's  church,  the  custodian  of  this 
Gospel,  but  the  Crucified  declared,  "  The  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  her. "  And  so,  "  The  Lamb 
of  God, "  about  to  be  slain  in  sacrifice  for   "  the  sins 

69 


70  LOVE-SERVICES. 

of  the  whole  world, "  looks  forward  even  "  unto  the 
end  of  the  age," — this  Gospel  dispensation!  The 
preacher  of  to-day  is  but  fulfilling  the  wonderful  "  I 
say"  of  Jesus :  "  This  that  this  woman  hath  done  shall 
be  told."  Nothing  can  be  better  fitted  to  stimulate 
and  sustain,  in  the  church  of  all  ages,  that  love- service 
which  our  Lord  requires,  and  which  "  the  whole  world" 
so  greatly  needs.  The  grand  catholicon  for  the  woes 
of  our  great  country  and  the  wants  of  the  heathen 
everywhere  is  found  in  "  This  Gospel."  It  is  neither 
inopportune  nor  imprudent  now  to  recall  what  Mary 
did  on  this  occasion  and  what  Jesus  did  in  return. 
Let  us,  in  the  light  of  this  passage,  consider  the  Mas- 
ter's claim  to  and  His  commendation  of  love-service. 


I. 

Jesus  has  the  highest  possible  claim  to  the  loving 
services  of  His  followers. 

This  claim  rested  in  the  time  of  Mary,  and  still 
rests,  on  His  worthiness  and  His  work.  You  will  see 
how  natural  the  demand,  that  He  receive  from  us  the 
"faith  that  worketh  by  love."  In  view  of  Peter's 
affirmation,  "  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee, "  came 
the  Lord' s  reply :  "  Peed  my  lambs, "  "  Shepherd  my 
sheep. " 

1.  Mary  loved  her  Lord  for  what  He  was.  She  had 
known  something  of  His  intrinsic  excellence.     She  felt 


LOVE-SERVICES.  71 

His  claim  to  hearty  confidence  and  to  signal  service 
such  as  that  recorded  here.  Mary  "  sat  at  Jesus' s  feet 
and  heard  His  Word. "  Even  while  her  sister  Martha 
**  was  careful  and  troubled  about  many  things, "  Mary 
chose  "that  good  part."  The  beloved  of  the  Father 
was  also  her  beloved.  Hers  had  been  the  joy  kindred 
to  that  of  the  holy  ones  in  heaven, — the  bliss  of  being 
in  His  presence  to  behold  His  "  glory. "  She  could  say  : 
"  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee?  On  earth  have 
I  desired  none  beside  Thee." 

No  wonder  Mary  loved  Him;  and  loving  Him,  she 
would  delight  to  honor  and  to  serve  the  Lord  she 
loved  so  well.  She  could  say  of  a  truth  what  those 
who  know  Him  best  have  always  said : 

"  I  love  Thee  for  that  glorious  worth 
In  Thy  great  self  I  see.  " 

Nothing  could  be  too  good  for  Him,  and  no  sacrifice 
too  great  if  bestowed  on  Him. 

2.  Mary  loved  the  Lord  Jesus  for  what  He  had 
done  for  her.  Love  begets  love.  "  We  love  Him 
because  He  first  loved  us."  The  good  received  from 
Him  calls  forth  willing  service  and  "a.  good  work." 
So  a  loving  and  self-sacrificing  parent  assumes  the 
right  to  the  child's  obedience  and  devotion.  Now  let 
us  see  the  special  service  Christ  had  rendered,  and 
learn  the  reason  for  "  this  that  this  woman  hath  done." 
The  "  supper  "  was  given  *'  in  the  house  of  Simon  the 


72  LOVE-SERVICES. 

leper, "  in  honor  of  the  Lord.  It  seems  to  have  been 
made  jointly  by  two  families  whom  He  had  served  in 
very  notable  service.  "  They  made  Him  a  supper," 
is  the  record  of  John.  What  ties  of  relationship  ex- 
isted to  bind  "  the  house  of  Simon  "  to  that  of  Lazarus 
and  his  sisters,  we  know  not.  Conjecture  has  been 
active,  but  the  record  is  silent,  and  so  are  we.  Suffice 
it  that  "Lazarus  sat  at  the  table  with  Him."  With 
little  stretch  of  imagination  we  can  see  Jesus  "  in  the 
midst "  of  these  trophies  of  His  love  and  power !  John, 
probably  an  eye-witness,  writes  in  this  wise :  "  Then 
took  Mary  a  pound  of  ointment  of  spikenard  very  pre- 
cious " — ("Kard  grolyb,  "W.) —  "and  anointed  the 
feet  of  Jesus. "  Matthew  says  she  *'  poured  it  on  His 
head"  also.    In  Tennyson  we  have  this  picture : 

"  Then  one  deep  love  doth  supersede 
All  other,  when  her  ardent  gaze 
Roves  from  the  living  brother's  face 
And  rests  upon  the  Life  indeed  ! 

"All  subtle  thought,  all  curious  fears 
Borne  down  by  gladness  so  complete, 
She  bows,  she  bathes  the  Savior's  feet 
With  costly  ointment  and  with  tears.  " 

But  a  few  days  had  passed  since  Mary's  tears  of 
sorrow  had  been  dried  by  Christ,  and  now  her  tears 
of  gratitude  must  flow  and  her  grateful  love  find  ex- 
pression  in  that    love-service    set    forth   in   Gospel 


LOVE-SERVICES. 


73 


records.  All  this  is  "written  for  our  learning." 
We  as  men  and  women  redeemed  from  death  and 
cleansed  from  sin  by  "the  precious  blood  of  the 
Christ,"  may  well  ask  each  for  himself  and  herself: 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  The  Christ 
"  loved  us  and  hath  given  Himself  for  us  an  offering," 
and  shall  we  not  heed  His  claim  and  pay  to  Him  our 
"  reasonable  service  "  ?     Hear  Plim : 

"I  bring,  I  bring  rich  gifts  to  thee  ; 
What  hast  thou  brought  to  Me?" 

The  love-service  for  which  Jesus  waits,  and  for  which 
we  are  pleading,  is  characterized  by  two  or  three  par- 
ticular features  suggested  here. 

(a)  "  This  that  this  woman  hath  done  "  shows  how 
Love  watches  for  and  seizes  opportunities  for  special 
service.  "  She  is  come  aforehand  to  anoint  My  body 
for  the  burial."  This  is  Christ's  interpretation  of  the 
act,  and  in  this  light  it  shines  with  radiant  beauty. 
"As  ye  have  opportunity,  do  good,"  is  ever  the  dic- 
tate of  true  love.  It  has  a  keen  eye  to  see  and  a  will- 
ing mind  to  utilize  fitting  occasions  for  service.  "  She 
did  it  for  My  burial,"  saith  the  Lord.  The  deepest 
affection  is  the  most "  forward  "  to  serve  both  God  and 
men  (2  Cor.  viii.  7-12). 

{b)  "  This  that  this  woman  hath  done  "  declares  how 
Love  is  liberal  and  large-hearted  evermore.  It  serves 
with  no  stint  and  no  sense  of  sacrifice.     If  the  object 


74  LOVE-SERVICES. 

be  worthy,  this  is  right.  Such  it  was  iu  this  case. 
The  ointment  for  Christ's  body  can  not  be  too  precious ; 
even  for  His  "  feet "  this  costly  spikenard  was  not  too 
good.  Pliny  says  this  kind  of  nard  was  worth  four 
hundred  denarii,  or  Koman  pennies,  per  pound ;  and 
the  estimate  of  Judas  was  that  the  amount  poured  on 
the  Lord,  if  sold,  would  realize  three  hundred  pence,  or 
forty-five  dollars,  to  enhance  "  the  poor  "  fund.  Mark 
adds  that  this  woman  brake  the  "alabaster  box"  or 
flask  in  her  eager  desire  to  shed  the  "  very  precious" 
ointment  on  the  person  of  her  lovely  and  loving  Lord. 
Once  more,  the  Savior  indicates  the  costliness  of 
Mary's  gift  by  saying:  "She  hath  done  what  she 
could " ;  that  is,  she  did  her  utmost  and  her  best. 
Such  is  ever  the  record  of  pure  love-service :  it  must 
have  some  worthy  exponent  of  its  intensity  and 
strength. 

(c)  "  This  that  this  woman  hath  done "  proves 
how  little  any  one  doing  real  love-service  thinks  of 
being  "seen  of  men."  The  cold-hearted  charity  of 
the  times,  ever  seeking  human  applause,  had  been  re- 
buked of  Jesus  (vi.  2).  As  Paul  says  (1  Cor.  xiii.), 
true  "  Charity  "  or  Love  "  vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not 
puffed  up,  doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly,  seeketh  not 
her  own";  not  self-praise,  but  love-service,  is  the  in- 
spiring motive.  Such  was  the  love  of  God  and  of  the 
godly.  Li  Mary  there  was  no  love  of  display.  Pure  as 
the  blooming  snow-white  lilies,  her  act  was  the  outcome 


LOVE-SERVICES.  75 

of  her  heart,  and  therefore  she  was  heedless  of  the 
presence  of  any  save  the  object  of  her  grateful  love. 
With  no  hypocritical  self-assertion,  and  no  timid  or 
tremulous  bashfulness,  "■  this  woman  "  performed  the 
part  of  one  whose  sole  ambition  was  to  pay  her  "  debt 
of  love  "  to  Christ,  her  greatest  benefactor.  If  this  ser- 
vice was  acceptable  to  Him,  she  could  well  afford  to 
cherish  utter  unconcern  about  the  fact  that  "  when  His 
disciples  saw  it  they  had  indignation."  What  mat- 
tered it  to  Mary  that  Judas  and  the  rest  should  mut- 
ter: "To  what  purpose  is  this  waste?"  Jesus  was 
pleased  with  the  act  which  displeased  these  men.  Let 
us  learn  to  imitate  "  this  woman  "  in  all  we  attempt  to 
do  for  Christ.  Like  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
let  us  say :  "  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us, 
.  .  .  wherefore  we  labor,"  are  ambitious,  "make  it 
our  aim,  whether  at  home  or  absent,  to  be  well  pleas- 
ing unto  Him  "  (R.  V.).  The  feeling  of  Philip  Dod- 
dridge should  be  that  of  every  true  disciple  every- 
where : 

"  What  is  my  being  but  for  Thee — 
Its  sure  support,  its  noblest  end? 
'Tis  my  delight  Thy  face  to  see, 
And  serve  the  cause  of  such  a  friend.  " 

Happy  souls !     Honored  men  and  women ! 


76  LOVE-SERVICES. 

II. 

Jesus  commends,  as  He  also  claims,  love-service 
such  as  this. 

When  we  think  of  the  greatness  and  glory  of  our 
risen  Lord,  it  may  surprise  us  to  know  that  service  of 
so  little  worth  as  ours  should  receive  His  regard, 
much  less  His  words  of  praise.  Can  the  greatest  of 
our  gifts,  deeds  insignificant  as  ours  must  be,  engage 
the  attention  of  our  glorious  King  and  call  forth  His 
approval?  To  remove  distrust,  let  us  remember  these 
"  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  "  :  "  Whosoever  shall  give  to 
drink  unto  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water 
only,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you 
he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward."  Or,  again,  we 
may  turn  to  the  scene  described  by  Him,  and  recorded 
by  Matthew,  chapter  xxv. :  "  When  the  Son  of  Man 
shall  come  in  His  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with 
Him,  then  shall  He  sit  on  the  throne  of  His  glory.  .  .  . 
And  the  King  shall  answer  "  the  questionings  of  those 
set  by  Him  "  on  His  right  hand."  "  Verily  I  say  unto 
you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me." 
"  He  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church  " ;  "  many 
members,  yet  one  body,"  even  "the  body  of  Christ." 
He  is  still  present,  and  we,  as  well  as  Mary,  may 
"  serve  the  Lord  Christ "  in  some  special  service,  if  we 
will.     Now  see  how  He  appreciates  and  approves  love- 


LOVE-SERVICES.  77 

services  of  every  kind.  You  notice,  first,  He  shields 
Mary  from  the  storm  of  indignation  which  Judas 
had  awakened  among  the  apostles.  Such  fault-finders 
are  never  wanting  even  in  the  church.  This  day, 
and  always,  there  are  those  whose  unquestioned  "  apos- 
tolical succession  "  is  in  the  line  of  Judas  the  Apostate. 
How  emphatic  is  their  cry,  *'  To  what  purpose  is  this 
waste?"  To  these,  and  such  as  may  be  led  astray  by 
the  bad  influence  of  their  example  and  their  spirit 
and  their  words,  all  that  is  given  to  Christ,  to  His 
cause,  to  His  needy  members,  is  but  "  waste. "  If  one 
expend  large  sums  of  money  on  personal  adornments, 
on  fine  carriages  and  fast  horses,  on  parties  and  ban- 
quets for  carnal  gratification,  that  is  all  right,  and  the 
Lord's  money  is  not  wasted  there.  Should  there  re- 
main some  surplus  dimes  or  dollars,  that  may  suffice 
for  Christian  giving  to  charities,  churches,  and  Christ's 
claims!  What?  "  Make  Him  a  supper  "  and  anoint 
His  feet?  John  says  "  the  house  was  filled  with  the 
odor  of  the  ointment,"  and  to  him,  no  doubt,  this  odor 
was  sweet-smelling;  but  to  Judas  this  wasted  oint- 
ment had  a  decidedly  bad  smell.  What  purposeless 
waste !  And  so  to  all  Judas-like  characters  to  this  day 
all  anointing  of  "  Jesus' s  feet "  with  spikenard,  "  very 
costly,"  is  most  absurd.  Such  as  these  see  in  Him 
"nor  f6rm,  nor  comeliness,"  nor  majesty,  nor  merit, 
"  that  they  should  desire  Him."  Is  Judas  indignant? 
So  is  Jesus.     The  Lord  interposes,  and  this  is  what 


78  LOVE-SERVICES. 

He  sajs:  "Why  trouble  ys  this  woman?  Let  her 
alone."  And  what  of  Mary?  Perhaps  she  was  too 
happy  to  notice  the  murmuring.  At  least  she  rests 
serenely  in  the  Lord ;  not  a  word  does  she  utter  in 
her  own  defense.  Secondly,  Jesus  commends  the  act, 
for  that.  He  sees  its '  beautiful '  significance.  He  saw 
this  more  clearly  than  even  Mary  did.  It  was  prob- 
ably a  glad  surprise  to  her  to  hear  her  Lord' s  inter- 
pretation of  this  deed  of  love.  "  She  hath  wrought  a 
good,  rather  a  beautiful,  work  on  Me ;  ...  for  in  that 
she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on  My  body,  she  did  it 
for  My  burial."  Even  among  us,  and  more  so  among 
the  Jews  in  the  time  of  Christ,  no  mark  of  respect  could 
be  esteemed  extravagant  when  bestowed  upon  a  loved 
one  numbered  with  the  dead.  John  informs  us  of 
how  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  "  brought  a  mixture  of 
myrrh  and  aloes,  about  one  hundred  pounds;  then 
they  took  the  body  of  Jesus  and  wound  it  in  linen 
clothes  with  the  spices,  as  the  manner  of  the  Jews 
is  to  bury" — i.e.,  to  bury  distinguished  personages, 
above  all  others.  Such  was  the  wealth  of  love  ex- 
pended by  these  men  on  "the  body  of  Jesus."  Was 
it  right? 

Judas,  the  treasurer  of  "the  twelve,"  who  had  a 
special  mission  to  provide  for  "the  poor,"  covered 
his  want  of  love  to  Christ  with  a  cloak  of  deep  con- 
cern for  them.  I  rejoice  that  John  was  guided  to 
strip  off  this  cloak,  so  that  the  true  Judas,  the  trai- 


LOVE-SERVICES.  "^9 

tor,  might  appear.     "  This  he  said,  not  that  he  cared 
for  the  poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief  and  had  the 
bag,  and  bore  what  was  put  therein."    Add  to  this  the 
truth  that  for  "  thirty  pieces  of  silver  "  he  sold  his 
Master— just  the  price  of  a  common  slave,  and  but 
one  third  the  value  of  this  ointment— then  you  will 
understand  both  the  character  of  this  man  and  the 
depth  of  his  "  indignation  "  in  view  of  what  *'  this  wom- 
an" did.     To  him  the  act  seemed  ridiculously  void  of 
good  sense,  while  to  Jesus  it  was  beautifully  proper 
and  altogether  "  good."     His  word  is,  "  She  hath  done 
what  she  could, "  and  while  she  might  have  opportunity 
for  its  performance.     He  understands  her  motives, 
and  He  reads  her  heart.     What  quietness  and  assur- 
ance this  brings  to  all  who  honestly  and  heartily  "  serve 
the  Lord  Christ."     "  All  things  are  naked  and  opened 
unto  His  eyes  with  whom  we  have  to  do,"— all  hollow 
hypocrisy  such  as  that  of  Judas,  all  sincere  love  such 
as  that  of  Mary.     Finally,  note  this  evidence  of  how 
Christ  commends  love-service.     Blessed  Mary,  thou 
worthy  sister  in  Christ! 

"Where'er  the  Book  of  Light 
Bears  hope  and  healing,  there,  beyond  all  blight, 
Is  borne  thy  memory,  and— all  praise  above  ; 
Oh,  say,  what  deed  so  lifted  thy  sweet  name, 
Mary,  to  that  pure,  silent  place  of  fame?— 
One  lowly  offering  of  exceeding  Love!" 

The  preacher  delights  to  tell  what  Jesus  suggested 


80  LOVE-SEBVICES. 

should  be  told.  This  woman's  name  and  fame  are 
abiding  as  long  as  "  this  Gospel  shall  be  preached  in 
all  the  world. "  "  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  glory 
of  man  (and  for  man's  praise)  as  the  flower  of  grass. 
The  grass  withereth,  and  the  flower  thereof  falleth 
away,  but  the  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever. 
And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  Gospel  is  preached 
unto  you."  "Glorious  Gospel,"  outlasting  the  abi- 
ding pyramids  of  Egypt !  To  every  age  and  nation  this 
Gospel  will  carry  down  Mary's  immortal  "  memorial " 
record.  Such  is  the  distinguished  privilege  of  such 
as  honor  Christ,  doing  love-service  for  His  honor  and 
to  His  glory. 

Ye  that  "are  Christ's,"  numbered  among  the  "dis- 
ciples "  and  bearing  the  Christian  name,  how  does 
"this  that  this  woman  hath  done"  strike  you?  If 
I  have  failed  to  speak  of  it  as  I  ought,  if  I  have 
come  short  of  telling  this  story  as  it  should  be  told, 
forgive  me.  No  one  is  more  painfully  conscious  of 
the  preacher's  prosiness  than  he  is  himself.  He 
ought  to  have  been  more  enthused  with  a  record  so 
glorious  of  love-service  thus  endeared  to  the  Lord. 
One  thing  I  would  request  of  every  Christian,  even 
this :  that  he  or  she  carefully  and  prayerfully  study 
this  record  as  given  in  the  Word.  Should  it  be  that, 
in  compliance  with  this  request,  your  ambition  is 
stirred  so  to  love  and  serve  the  Lord  as  in  that 
great  day  to  be  owned  and  honored  by  Him,  my  re- 


LOVE-SERVICES.  81 

ward  will  be  ample,  your  blessedness  unbounded  and 
complete. 

Beloved,  permit  me  but  one  word  more.  It  is  the 
word  of  Christ, — His  motto,  shall  I  say,  and  that 
which  seemed  the  inspiration  of  His  active  life.  I  re- 
fer to  the  passage  recorded  in  John  ix.  4 :  "  While  it 
is  day,  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work." 

"Two  hands  upon  the  breast — the  work  is  over — 
The  warfare  o'er; 
And  they  who  have  toiled  and  striven  in  faith 
Shall  fight  no  more  I 

"Two  hands  upon  the  breast— the  work  is  over ; 
And  then  the  promised  rest 
Which  yet  remaineth  for  the  Lord's  own  people 
"Who  have  His  name  confessed  ! 

"  Two  hands  upon  the  breast — the  work  is  over ; 
And  then  that  shore 
Where  we  shall  meet  the  loved  ones  whom 
God  took  before. " 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from 
henceforth;   yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them. " 
6 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

By  Eev.    T.    C.    Edwards,  D.D.,    Kingston,   Pa. 
"Kemember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy." — Exod.  xx.  8. 

The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man.  "  Sunday  is  the 
golden  clasp  that  binds  together  the  volume  of  the 
week."  As  the  Bible  is  king  of  the  books,  so  is  the 
Sabbath  prince  of  the  days. 

"  And  God  blessed  the  seventh  day,  and  hallowed 
it;  because  that  in  it  He  rested  from  all  His  work 
which  God  had  created  and  made. "  The  original  day 
of  rest  was  the  seventh  day  of  the  week.  The  orig- 
inal church  was  the  Hebrew  or  Jewish  church.  The 
Jewish  Sabbath  was  the  seventh  day.  The  Christian 
Sabbath  is  the  first  day  of  the  week.  The  change 
from  the  seventh  to  the  first  seems  to  have  been  due 
to  the  resurrection  of  Christ  upon  the  first  day  of  the 
week  (Matt,  xxviii.  1),  and  to  His  meeting  with  His 
disciples  upon  that  day  and  upon  the  succeeding  Sun- 
day (John  XX.  26),  and  to  the  pouring  out  of  the  Spirit 
upon  the  Pentecostal  Sunday  seven  weeks  after  (Acts 
ii.  1).  By  the  example  of  Christ  and  by  the  sanction 
of  the  apostles  the  first  day  became  "  the  Lord's  day  " 

83 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.     83 

(Rev.  i.  10),  on  which  the  believers  met  regularly 
each  week  with  their  Lord.  "  The  first  day  of  the 
week,  when  we  were  gathered  together  to  break  bread  " 
(Acts  XX.  7).  In  his  first  letter  to  the  Corinthians, 
St.  Paul  directs  them  concerning  their  benevolent  con- 
tributions that  they  should  "  upon  the  first  day  of  the 
week  let  each  one  lay  by  him  in  store  as  he  may 
prosper." 

The  Christian  Sabbath,  then,  is  the  day  of  Christ's 
resurrection.  The  Jewish  Sabbath  commemorated 
only  the  original  creation  of  the  world ;  the  Christian 
Sabbath  commemorates  also  the  new  creation  of  the 
world  in  Christ,  in  which  God's  work  in  humanity 
first  becomes  complete.  C.  H.  Mackintosh,  in  his 
Commentary,  remarks:  "If  I  celebrate  the  seventh 
day,  it  marks  me  as  an  earthly  man,  inasmuch  as  that 
day  is  clearly  the  rest  of  earth — creation-resfc.  If  I 
intelligently  celebrate  the  first  day  of  the  week,  I  am 
marked  as  a  heavenly  man,  believing  in  the  new  cre- 
ation of  Christ." 

The  natural  law  of  demand  for  one  seventh  of  time 
for  physical  and  for  spiritual  rest  is  acknowledged  in 
all  nations  and  all  ages. 

In  the  ancient  Assyrian  account  of  creation  a  Sab- 
bath is  recognized,  and  there  are  indications  of  an 
observance  of  the  ordinance  long  before  the  Mosaic 
legislation.  Moses,  in  the  Fourth  Commandment, 
speaks  of  it  as  already  known  and  observed, — "Re- 


84     THE  CHURCH  AND   THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

member  "  the  Sabbath  day,  etc.  To-day  we  need  not 
a  new  law,  nor  a  new  Gospel,  but  simply  to  "  remem- 
ber. "  The  Sabbath  is  the  Day  of  Eest ;  the  church 
knows  it,  the  world  recognizes  it,  and  all  that  is 
needed  now  is  to  "remember  the  Sabbath  day." 

I  shall  endeavor  to  show,  lirst,  why  the  church 
should  observe  the  day  of  rest;  and,  secondly,  how 
it  shall  be  observed. 

I.  Why? — 1,  Because  God  commands  it;  2,  Be- 
cause the  church  needs  it. 

1.  The  command  has  been  planted  in  the  very  nature 
of  things,  and  has  been  revealed  on  the  printed  page. 
God  has  also  set  before  uo  an  example  by  resting  from 
His  labors  as  well  as  by  granting  to  the  Hebrews  a 
double  quantity  of  manna  in  the  wilderness  on  the 
sixth  day,  and  prohibiting  the  fall  of  it  on  the  Sabbath 
day. 

The  all-wise  and  omniscient  Father  has  commanded 
his  children  to  do,  or  not  to  do,  only  what  will  be  to 
their  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eternal  welfare  to  obey. 
This  command,  like  all  the  other  Commandments  of 
God,  is  not  foreign  to  the  spontaneous  demands  of 
nature.  Every  one  of  the  Commandments  which  God 
has  given  to  man  finds  an  obedient  response  in  the 
highest  and  best  form  of  his  nature.  The  God  who 
said,  "  In  it  thou  shalt  do  no  manner  of  work, "  knew 
right  well  that  six  days'  work  was  better  than  seven, 
and  that  no  human  being  would  treat  even  his  body 


THE!  CBURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.    85 

properly  if  he  would  not  rest  from  his  labor  one  day 
of  the  seven.  But  to-day  I  am  to  look  at  this  ques- 
tion in  its  relation  to  the  church  j  therefore  let  me  say, 
in  the  second  place ;  2.  The  church  needs  it —  (a)  For 
opportunity  of  worship ;  (b)  For  edification ;  (c)  For 
reenforcement. 

(a)  In  this  busy  age,  the  days  of  steam  and  elec- 
tricity, the  church  has  no  opportunity  to  congregate 
for  worship  during  the  six  days  allotted  to  labor  and 
toil.  True  it  is  that  regular  weekly  meetings  are  held 
— and  xveakly  they  are  ordinarily — where  a  few  of  the 
faithful  saints  come  together  and  find  sweet  commun- 
ion with  the  Master.  Were  it  not  for  that,  the  mount 
of  God  in  many  places  would  veritably  be  dry  Gil- 
boas,  and  the  garden  of  the  Lord  be  parched  and  odor- 
less. But  the  great  day  of  the  feast  is  Sunday. 
Then  the  tribes  come  together  to  worship  God  and 
sing  His  praises.  No  band  of  Christian  people  can 
enjoy  life  anywhere  if  they  are  deprived  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  worship  God  on  the  Lord's  day.  I  have 
seen  them  in  the  wilds  of  Arizona  and  have  been  with 
them  on  mid-ocean,  and  have  observed  with  imspeak- 
able  pleasure  how  they  instinctively  draw  toward  each 
other  to  read  the  Bible,  to  sing  hymns,  to  pray,  and  to 
preach  (and  even  to  take  up  a  collection),  counting  one 
part  of  the  service  as  important  as  the  other  in  the 
worship  of  the  Almighty  and  kind  Father.  I  have 
seen  the  tribes  scattered  over  the  prairies  of  Illinois 


86     THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

and  Missouri  flocking  together  on  Sundays,  bringing 
with  them  the  provision  for  lunches,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  remain  the  whole  day  in  the  holy  assembly  of  wor- 
shipers. 

Why  is  it  so?  Because  that  within  the  human 
heart  there  is  a  deep  need  which  nothing  can  satisfy 
except  a  *'  little  talk  with  Jesus  "  and  a  "  dwelling  to- 
gether of  the  brethren. "  I  believe,  with  Emerson,  that 
*'  no  greater  calamity  can  fall  upon  a  nation  than  the 
loss  of  worship."  The  church  needs  the  day  of  rest 
for  an  opportunity  to  worship. 

(b)  It  is  also  needed  for  edification.  We  have 
met  with  some  men  who  claim  to  be  self-made  men, 
because  they  were  either  deprived  of  or  would  not 
avail  themselves  of  the  means  of  education  and 
of  the  special  provisions  for  their  qualification. 
We  also  meet  with  some  who  may  claim  to  be  self- 
made  Christians,  because  they  keep  aloof  from  the 
assembly  of  the  saints  as  much  as  possible ;  but  they 
invariably  bear  the  marks  of  "  self-made  "  rather  than 
Christ-made  Christians.  It  is  nothing  to  boast  of  in 
this  age  that  a  man  is  self-made;  and  surely  it  is  a 
privilege  to  associate  with  and  to  learn  from  other 
people  who  have  been  more  fully  endowed  and  more 
abundantly  blessed  than  ourselves.  The  church  of 
Christ  is  a  congregation  of  people  of  great  variety  of 
talents  and  opportunities,  and  they  need  to  come 
together  regularly  for  instruction  in  the  way  of  the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.    87 

truth.  They  are  banded  together  to  receive  from  God 
and  to  contribute  to  the  world :  to  receive  knowledge 
and  inspiration  for  the  primary  purpose  of  imparting 
the  same  to  the  world,  that  the  world  may  walk  in 
the  light  of  the  church  as  the  church  walks  in  the 
light  of  God.  The  interminable  variety  of  the  con- 
stituency of  the  church  proves  the  need  of  a  day  of 
rest  from  all  labor,  so  that  each  one  may  bring  to  the 
other,  as  God  has  given  him,  for  the  edification  of 
the  entire  family.  The  artisan  and  hard-working  day 
laborer,  whose  heart  is  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  needs 
it  at  the  feet  of  the  refined  and  scholarly  children  of 
God,  whose  yoke  has  always  been  easy  and  whose  bur- 
den of  care  and  trouble  has  always  been  light,  that 
he  may  learn  the  delicate  and  intricate  laws  of  pro- 
priety, etiquette,  and  culture.  And  the  position  fre- 
quently needs  to  he  reversed,  so  that  the  "■  well  at 
ease  "  and  "  favored  few  "  may  learn  from  the  lowly 
the  art  of  self-denial,  of  long-suffering,  and  of  devout 
consecration.  In  addition  to  this,  the  Sabbath  is  the 
one  day  of  the  week  for  general  instruction.  The 
great  searchlight  which  penetrates  head  and  heart  and 
illumines  body  and  soul  is  turned  upon  the  world 
on  this  day.  If  the  church  had  not  honored  the 
holy  day  of  rest,  dark  ignorance  would  cover  the  na- 
tions, and  the  Book  of  God  would  be  a  sealed  mystery 
to  the  millions,  to  whom  now  it  is  a  lamp  for  their 
feet  and  a  light  to  their  paths.     If  the  church  desires 


88     THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

to  continue  in  the  light  and  to  increase  in  knowledge, 
she  must  have  the  Sabbath  for  her  edification. 

(c)  For  reenforcement.  Reenforcement  is  a  mili- 
tary term.  The  church  of  to-day  is  militant.  The 
battle  is  now  on.  Soldiers  are  needed;  yea,  wide- 
awake, energetic,  devoted,  willing;  and  consecrated 
soldiers.  All  the  army  of  the  Lord  are  human,  tho 
they  are  engaged  in  a  spiritual  warfare;  consequently 
they  must  have  occasions  of  reenforcement.  The 
holy  day  of  rest  is  the  favored  day  for  it.  "  The  rest 
that  strengthens  into  virtuous  deeds  is  one  with 
prayer,"  said  Coleridge.  The  rest  of  the  Lord's  day 
is  not  absence  of  occupation.  I  believe  with  Cowper 
that 

"  Absence  of  occupation  is  not  rest ; 
A  mind  quite  vacant  is  a  mind  distressed.  " 

The  man  who  delights  to  busy  himself  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Lord  on  Sunday  is  the  man  who  is  most 
refreshed  for  his  daily  work  on  Monday  morning. 
The  Sunday  lounger  is  apt  to  be  the  Monday  loafer. 
The  professed  Christian  who  disregards  the  sanctity 
of  the  Sabbath  is  weak-kneed  during  the  whole  week. 
But  the  busy  worker,  who  has  been  faithful  in  season 
and  out  of  season  during  the  six  days,  and  who  is 
used  up  and  tired  out  by  Saturday  night,  repairs  to 
the  great  Captain's  armory  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  has  his  soul  refreshed,  his  youth  renewed,  and 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.     89 

his  zeal  rekindled,  and  his  whole  frame  made  ready 
for  a  fresh  attack.     It  has  been  to  him 

"A  day  of  rest  and  gladness,  a  day  of  joy  and  light ; 
A  balm  for  care  and  sadness  most  beautiful  and  bright.  " 

The  fragrance  and  beauty  of  the  rose  and  the  lily, 
the  vigor  and  inspiration  of  the  mountain  breezes, 
and  the  full  blessedness  of  the  "  dwelling  together  in 
unity,"  always  prove  to  the  faithful  and  pure  a  sure 
reenforcement  on  the  day  of  rest. 

II.  Our  second  inquiry  is,  Hoiv  shall  the  church 
treat  the  day  of  rest? 

The  direct  command  of  God  is  to  keep  it  holy  and 
to  do  in  it  no  manner  of  work.  I  would  desire  it  to 
be  fully  understood  that  the  poor  working  man  is  not 
more  guilty  than  the  wealthy,  and  that  this  com- 
mandment of  God  is  not  an  infliction  upon  the  work- 
ing man,  but  rather  a  blessing. 

Yes,  child  of  suffering,  thou  mayst  well  be  sure, 
He  who  ordained  the  Sabbath  loves  the  poor.  No 
man  is  so  poor  that  he  will  be  poorer  by  keeping  holy 
the  Sabbath  day. 

No  church  is  so  wealthy  that  it  will  not  get  poor 
by  disregarding  the  Fourth  Commandment.  The 
two  great  English  statesmen.  Lord  Beaconsfield  and 
Mr.  Gladstone,  tho  wide  apart  in  political  dogmas, 
agreed  fully  on  this  subject.  Said  Lord  Beaconsfield 
once :    "  This  is  the  most  precious  of  all  the  divine 


90     THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

institutions  which  God  has  ordained  for  man,  and  this 
is  the  corner-stone  of  civilization."  And  said  Glad- 
stone :  "  The  religious  observance  of  the  Sabbath  is 
the  principal  pillar  to  support  the  religious  character 
of  our  country,  and  the  right  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath is  of  the  most  important  results."  Do  you  ask, 
Hovsr  may  the  church  help  in  its  right  and  proper 
observance?  First,  by  being  right,  and,  second,  by 
doing  right.  Being  right  is  to  be  holy.  Doing  right 
is  to  keep  the  commandments  of  God.  No  member 
of  the  church  contributes  to  his  own  holiness  by 
neglecting  his  church  obligations  on  the  Sabbath. 

No  amount  of  money  contributions  can  make  up  for 
absence  from  Sunday  services.  No  amount  of  Sunday 
newspapers  can  supply  the  spiritual  light  and  life  of 
the  Book  of  God.  No  art  galleries  nor  public  parks 
can  supply  to  the  soul  of  man  the  scenes  and  visions 
and  refreshment  which  he  may  find  in  the  halls  of  the 
sanctuary  and  in  the  gardens  of  the  Bible.  No  platform 
orations  on  social  and  civic  subjects  can  compare  with 
the  plain  proclamation  of  the  *'  old,  old  story  of  Jesus 
and  His  love  "  in  the  reformation  of  human  life  and 
character.  The  church  should  be  pure  in  heart,  rich 
in  grace,  strong  in  faith,  and  instant  in  prayer ;  then 
move  onward,  to  be  diligent  in  action  and  brave  in 
attack.  The  voice  of  the  church  to-day  should  give 
no  uncertain  sound ;  but  with  a  strength  obtained  from 
a  close  communion  with  Christ,  should  shout  in  trum- 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.    91 

pet  tones  her  opposition  to  a  secular  Sunday  or  a  con- 
tinental Sabbath,  and  demand  to  the  United  States  a 
holy  Puritan  Lord's  day. 

Let  the  church  be  heard  against  all  athletic  exercises 
and  exhibitions  on  the  Sabbath ;  against  Sunday  excur- 
sions by  land  or  by  water ;  against  Sunday  visiting  and 
Sunday  loafing ;  and  with  one  accord  let  all  branches 
of  the  church  nnite  to  demand  an  enforcement  of  the 
Sunday -closing  of  all  bars  in  every  town  and  borough. 

The  church  can  not,  dare  not,  and  will  not  sleep 
nor  close  her  eyes  while  the  holy  day  is  being  dese- 
crated. Let  every  child  of  God  honor  the  day  and 
guard  it  with  holy  zeal.  What  a  sublime  picture  is 
that  of  a  Sabbath  day  in  Wales !  In  the  background 
see  the  reflection  of  a  busy  Saturday  when  every 
member  of  the  household  is  preparing  for  the  mor- 
row. The  "  old  man"  of  the  house  is  shorn  and  shaven ; 
the  other  men  have  gathered  together  in  a  group  to- 
ward evening  to  compare  notes  and  make  ready  for 
Sunday.  The  mother  and  daughters  have  been  pre- 
paring their  part  of  the  household  duties  so  as  to  leave 
"  next  to  nothing  "  to  be  done  to-morrow.  Then  the 
Sabbath  dawns, — heralded  by  the  songs  of  birds,  not 
by  cries  of  newsboys ;  the  family  surround  the  altar 
of  divine  worship.  Scripture  is  read,  a  hymn  is  s\mg, 
prayer  is  offered.  Together  they  go  to  God's  house; 
and  the  day  closes  upon  a  people  who  have  seen  the 
Lord  in  His  holy  temple,  and  worshiped  Him  in  the 


92  THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

beauty  of  holiness.  Does  not  this  account  to  a  great 
extent  for  the  fact  that  infidelity  has  no  footing  in 
Wales?  Infidelity  can  not  exist  in  a  community  where 
the  Sabbath  is  kept  holy.  If  the  church  would 
fill  the  day  and  fill  the  neighborhood  with  the  sound 
of  praise  and  the  voice  of  prayer,  much,  if  not  all, 
of  the  surrounding  abominations  would  necessarily  be 
crowded  out.  But  instead,  I  find  that  in  many  locali- 
ties the  church  is  so  silent  and  so  stylish  that  all  the 
crowding  is  done  by  the  Sunday  newspaper,  Sunday 
baseball,  and  other  evil  powers.  Oh,  for  a  baptism 
of  holiness,  that  we  may  be  holy  even  as  He  is 
holy! 

We  should  pattern  after  the  model  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Learning  from  the  records  what  Jesus  did  do  on  the 
Sabbath  day  enables  us  to  form  a  fairly  accurate  judg- 
ment concerning  what  He  would  do  if  He  lived  among 
us  to-day. 

The  story  of  His  life,  as  portrayed  by  the  Evangel- 
ists, records  seven  important  acts  which  He  performed 
on  the  day  of  rest, — six  of  them  on  the  Jewish  Sab- 
bath, and  one  on  the  Christian  Sabbath.  Tho  they 
are  alike  in  some  respects,  yet  they  vary  in  form  and 
purpose  and  degree  of  instruction. 

1.  Casting  out  the  unclean  spirit  (Luke  iv.  31-35). 

2.  Healing  the  withered  hand  (Luke  vi.  6-10). 

3.  Healing  **  a  woman  which  had  a  spirit  of  infirm- 
ity eighteen  years  "  (Luke  xiii.  11-17). 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.    93 

4.  Healing  a  certain  man  who  had  the  dropsy  (Luke 
xiv.  2-6). 

5.  Giving  sight  to  the  man  who  was  born  blind  (John 
ix.  14). 

6.  Healing  the  man  who  had  suffered  infirmity  for 
thirty-eight  years  (John  v.  16). 

7.  Raising  from  the  dead  (Mark  xvi.  9). 

Such  is  the  testimony  concerning  the  works  which 
Jesus  did  on  the  Sabbath  day.  If  we  observe  these 
works  yet  closer,  we  may  learn  from  them  something 
as  to  the  nature  of  employment  which  may  properly 
engage  us  on  the  holy  day.  Each  of  the  recorded  acts 
is  representative  of  a  group. 

1.  Casting  out  uncleanness.  Destroying  the  evil. 
Purifying  the  life.  Making  man  a  fit  temple  for  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

2.  Reviving  the  decaying  parts.  Increasing  power 
to  the  faint.  Making  it  possible  for  the  apparently 
useless  to  be  of  service. 

3.  Straightening  a  crooked  person.  Renewing  the 
beauty  of  woman.  Bringing  back  one  who  had  been 
turned  aside  as  worthless.  Who  can  tell  the  results 
of  restoring  one  lost  woman? 

4.  Overcoming  what  was  considered  incurable. 
If  Christ  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against?  Set- 
ting the  head  of  the  family  in  his  right  and  desir- 
able position,  to  support,  lead,  and  instruct  his 
household. 


94     THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

5.  Illuminating  tlie  darkness.  Changing  the 
course  of  what  people  call  destiny.  Giving  sight 
to  one  born  blind.  Proving  who  is  the  Light  of 
the  world. 

6.  Merciful  to  the  aged.  Showing  pity  in  a  prac- 
tical way  to  the  poor  and  forsaken.  The  friendless 
for  thirty-eight  years  blessed  with  a  friend  and  with 
health. 

7.  All  of  these  kind,  generous,  and  gracious  acts 
were  spontaneous.  None  of  these  unfortunates  ex- 
pected nearly  as  much  as  they  received.  It  is  evi- 
dent to  us  now  that  if  Jesus  Christ  is  our  Model,  our 
doings  on  the  Lord's  day  should  be  characterized  by 
the  direct  purpose  to — 

1st.  Eevive  and  strengthen. 

2d.  Purify  and  enlighten. 

3d.  Eectify  and  make  holy. 
And  as  He  arose  and  came  out  of  His  new  tomb  on 
the  Sabbath  morning,  so  should  we  awake  to  renewed 
life  of  consecrated  service  each  Lord's  day  morning, 
filling  the  hours  with  earnest  seeking  for  opportuni- 
ties "to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath  day."  I  have  heard 
it  stated  that  in  one  of  the  English  coal-mines  there 
is  what  miners  call  a  Sunday  stone.  Water  charged 
with  lime  is  trickling  through  the  rocks,  and  as  it  falls 
is  making  constant  deposits  of  pure  white  lime-stone. 
But  when  the  miners  are  at  work  and  are  scattering 
the  coal-dust  all  about,  the  water  becomes  charged 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST.    95 

with  coal  as  well  as  with  lime,  and  the  stone  which 
otherwise  was  white  takes  upon  itself  a  black-coal  hue. 
But  when  the  Sabbath  comes,  and  the  men  cease 
working  and  the  whirring  coal-dust  settles,  tlien  upon 
the  blackness  of  the  deposit  of  the  day  before  begins 
to  drop  the  clean  lime-water,  leaving,  as  it  trickles  off, 
the  pure  white  stone.  And  so,  by  the  regularly  re- 
curring line  of  whiteness,  record  is  made  of  the 
coming  to  the  tired  miners  of  God's  day  of  rest. 
Likewise  cometh  into  our  tired  lives  the  Sab- 
bath whiteness.  If  we  stain  it  with  earthly  dust, 
it  is  our  fault,  not  God's.  Once  a  week  He  gives 
us  this  white,  protected  day,  with  its  benign  influ- 
ence. Blessed  are  they  who  "  remember  to  keep  it 
holy." 

"  O  Zion  awake,  God  calls  thee  to-day, 
Thy  cold  indiflference  to  cast  away.  " 

Far  better  would  it  be  for  Pennsylvania  to  be  de- 
prived of  her  Alleghany  Mountains  than  to  lose  her 
holy  day  of  rest.  The  United  States  could  better 
afford  to  have  her  broad  and  majestic  Mississippi  dry 
up  than  to  have  her  Sabbaths  desecrated  and  wiped 
out.  Bather  let  the  sun  be  blotted  out  of  the  heavens, 
and  thick  darkness  cover  the  earth,  than  that  its  bright 
light  should  be  used  to  the  desecration  of  God's  holy 
day.  Better  would  it  be  for  man  if  every  church 
edifice  were  demolished  than  that  they  should  contain 


96     THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  DAY  OF  REST. 

a  body  of  people  indifferent  to  the  sanctity  of  the  day 
of  rest. 

"  O  day  of  rest  I    How  beautiful,  how  fair, 
How  welcome  to  the  weary  and  the  old ! 
Day  of  the  Lord  1  and  truce  to  earthly  care  I 
Day  of  the  Lord,  as  all  our  days  should  be  1 " 


THANKSGIVING  SERMON. 

By    Rev.    Frederick   Evans,  D.D.,  Milwau- 
kee,  Wis. 

"It  is  a  good  thing  to  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  and  to 
sing  praises  unto  Thy  name,  O  IVIost  High  ;  to  shew  forth 
Thy  loving-kindness  in  the  morning,  and  Thy  faithfulness 
every  night.  ^— Psalm  xcil.  1,  2. 

More  texts  are  taken  from  the  Psalms  for  Thanks- 
giving sermons  than  from  any  other  portion  of  God's 
Book;  and  in  times  of  humiliation  and  sorrow,  a 
preacher  may  find  more  appropriate  texts  here  than 
elsewhere.  It  is  the  book  of  mourning  and  of  sing- 
ing; a  volume  of  tears  and  of  smiles,  of  weeping  and  of 
rejoicing.  Some  portions  of  every  page  are  moistened 
with  tears,  and  some  parts  are  radiant  with  smiles. 
Some  strains  of  the  great  anthem  are  in  the  major 
key,  and  some  are  in  the  minor.  David  relates  our 
experiences,  sings  our  songs,  weeps  our  lamentations ; 
and  on  this  Thanksgiving  Day  I  can  find  no  words 
more  appropriate  than  those  of  my  text. 

Why  should  we  render  thanks  unto  God? 

I.  Because  our  situation  is  pleasant  and  our  sur- 
roundings favorable.  The  sun  is  warm,  the  atmos- 
7  97 


98  THANKSGIVING  SERMON. 

phere  is  pure,  the  sky  is  clear,  the  smile  is  broad,  and 
the  laugh  is  hearty.  The  eye  of  the  laborer  is  bright, 
the  hand  of  the  workman  is  busy,  and  the  homes  of 
toil  are  cheerful.  The  philosophy  of  hard  times  is  a 
mysterious  subject;  it  is  a  problem  not  easily  solved. 
When  the  warm  sun  of  the  spring  melts  the  snow  of 
the  winter  and  unlocks  the  arms  of  Jack  Frost,  we  care 
but  very  little'about  comprehending  everything  which 
pertains  to  the  formation  of  the  snow  or  to  the  light 
and  heat  of  the  sun;  and  when  the  warm  sun  of  pros- 
perity turns  the  winter  of  hard  times  into  the  glorious 
summer  of  prosperity,  the  philosophy  of  hard  times 
gives  us  but  very  little  uneasiness  and  trouble.  There 
is  only  one  party  in  our  country  that  knows  every- 
thing about  these  things  and  understands  thoroughly 
all  about  the  why  and  wherefore  of  hard  times,  and 
that  is  the  party  which  is  "not  in  power."  Not 
being  in  power,  its  eyes  are  not  dim,  and  its  vision  is 
wonderfully  clear.  A  person  might  think  that  all 
parties  not  in  power  are  made  of  pure  and  angelic 
beings, — beings  that  have  nothing  but  the  unadulter- 
ated good  of  the  people  in  view.  Their  language 
always  is  *'  put  us  in  power,  give  us  your  votes,  and 
prosperity  shall  reign  from  Maine  to  Florida  and  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific." 

In  a  cool  moment,  some  years  hence,  the  philosophy 
of  hard  times  will  be  thoroughly  understood.  The 
prodigal  son  understood  the  subject.     Famine  7nust 


THANKSGWINO  SERMON.  99 

follow  extravagance ;  and  what  is  true  of  the  individual 
is  also  true  of  a  nation.     We  see  it  in  the  history  of 
the  empires  which  have  been  swept  away  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.     Panics  and  failures  create  lack  of 
confidence,    economy   and   thrift   create    confidence. 
This  has  come  to  pass,  and  for  this  we  thank  God. 
These  times  are  those  of  prosperity.     The  anvil  rings, 
the  furnace  is  aglow,  the  forge  is  busy,  the  hammer  is 
active,  the  looms  are  diligent,  and  we  live  in  prosper- 
ous days.     Everything  will  go  on  well  if  only  men  of 
wild  theories  and  cranky  notions  would  keep  quiet, 
and  wild-cat  speculators  and  dealers  in  highly  colored 
dreams  would  only  vanish  from  the  land.     Activity  is 
everywhere.     Our  rivers  and  seas  are  white  with  the 
canvas  of  commerce,  our  wharves  and  storehouses  re- 
sound with  the  music  of  labor,  and  our  streets  are 
alive  with  men  who  are  diligent  in  business;  and,  for 
one,  I  would  not  disturb  things.     Pestilence  has  been 
at  our  door,  the  dreaded  cholera  has  been  at  our  gates ; 
but  by  care  and  the  blessing  of  God  it  has  had  no  ad- 
mission into  our  fair  land.     God  has  been  truly  good 
unto  us,  and  truly  we  can  lift  up  our  voices  and  sing: 
"Thy  bountiful  care,  what  tongue  can  recite?— 
It  breathes  in  the  air,  it  shines  in  the  light ; 
It  streams  from  the  hills,  it  descends  to  the  plain, 
And  sweetly  distils  in  the  dew  and  the  rain.  " 

We  should  give  thanks  because — 

II.  Our  country  is  not  yet  given  up  to  professional 


100  THANKSGIVING  SERMON., 

politicians.  All  honor  to  the  true  politician!  We 
can  not  live  without  him.  Law  and  order  would 
amount  to  but  little  without  him ;  but  may  the  good 
Lord  deliver  us  from  the  tricky  professional  politi- 
cian, the  man  who  is  a  politician  merely  because  it 
puts  money  in  his  purse,  helps  him  to  grind  his  own 
ax — and  the  nose  of  his  opponent  in  the  bargain,  and 
opens  many  ways  whereby  he  can  benefit  himself.  A 
politician  who  regards  his  office  as  a  money-making 
machine  is  to  be  detested  and  looked  upon  as  a  loath- 
some leper  who  should  always  be  kept  far  from  the 
habitations  of  men. 

It  was  asked  of  a  sexton  in  Scotland:  "What  is 
Baptism?  "  He  replied :  "  It  is  sixpence  to  me  and  fif- 
teenpence  for  the  precentor."  Ask  the  professional 
ward  politician,  "  What  is  statesmanship?  "  And  the 
reply,  if  honest,  would  be:  "A  fat  office  for  myself 
and  a  less  fat  one  for  my  friend  Jack. "  This  despic- 
able character  may  profess  a  great  deal  of  patriotism, 
may  speak  with  seeming  pride  of  Plymouth  Rock  and 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  may  sing  with  apparent  earnest- 
ness "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner  " ;  but  all  the  time 
he  is  the  cancer  that  eats  up  the  very  life  of  the  coun- 
try, the  poison  that  runs  through  the  national  body, 
and  the  pestilence  that  walks  at  noon  and  night 
through  the  land ;  but  it  is  a  matter  of  Thanksgiving 
this  very  day  that  our  country  is  not  given  up  to  this 
elastic  individual ;  and  thanks  be  unto  God  that  there 


THANKSGIVING  SERMON.  101 

are  forces — mighty  forces,  glorious  forces — at  work 
which  will  keep  the  Republic  beyond  the  control  of 
such ;  forces  which  are  like  the  waves  of  the  sea  that 
beat  upon  the  shore.  No  scheme  can  keep  them  back, 
no  Pope  can  keep  them  down,  no  power  can  keep 
them  still.  They  are  silent  forces ;  and,  being  divinely 
silent,  they  are  divinely  powerful.  The  small  poli- 
tician looks  to  the  next  election ;  the  honorable  states- 
man looks  to  the  next  generation. 

Our  form  of  government  is  simple,  and  in  its  sim- 
plicity lies  its  strength  to  a  great  degree.  One  man 
at  the  head  can  never  make  a  strong  government. 
Make  the  people  free,  intelligent,  honest,  manly,  and 
you  have  a  strong  government.  Crowd  out  the  wily 
politicians  with  men — sun-crowned  men,  men  who  love 
humanity,  men  with  the  milk  of  human  kindness  in 
their  breasts,  tall  men  who  breathe  the  air  of  heaven's 
high  lands — and  our  Kepublic  will  be  grand  and  sub- 
lime. 

"  God  give  us  men  I    A  time  like  this  demands 
Strong  minds,  great  hearts,  true  faith,  and  ready  hands; 
Men  whom  the  lust  of  office  does  not  kill ; 

Men  whom  the  spoils  of  office  can  not  buy  ; 
Men  who  possess  opinions  and  a  will ; 

Men  who  have  honor  ;  men  who  will  not  lie  ; 
Men  who  can  stand  before  a  demagog 

And  damn  his  treacherous  flatteries  without  winking ; 
Tall  men,  sun-crowned,  who  live  above  the  fog 

In  public  duty  and  in  private  thinking.  " 


102  THANKSGIVING  SERMON. 

This  is  the  great  need  of  our  country.  We  do  not 
want  powdered,  painted,  and  padded  humanity.  We 
want  national  greatness ;  and  this  means  truth,  hon- 
esty, mercy,  and  justice  in  all  their  native  simplicity 
as  they  started  on  their  journey  from  the  throne  of 
Jehovah.  Without  this,  public  and  private  corruption 
will  shed  its  withering  blight  over  all  the  splendor  of 
our  civilization,  undermine  the  very  foundations  of 
the  glorious  institutions  of  our  Eepublic,  and  lay  the 
whole  superstructure  in  the  grave  of  degradation. 
We  have  had  truth,  justice,  and  honor  in  our  country, 
or  our  country  would  have  been  a  wreck ;  we  have 
them,  and  by  the  help  of  God  we  mean  to  keep  them. 

I  know  the  ballot-box  is  not  as  sacred  as  it  should 
be,  and  is  not  safe  in  the  hands  of  ignorant  and 
coarse  men.  Here  a  young,  intelligent  man  born  in 
this  country,  if  only  twenty  years  of  age  the  day  of 
election,  can  not  vote ;  but  a  man  who  comes  here  from 
the  lands  of  tyranny,  superstition,  and  ignorance — a 
man  who  can  not  read  or  write,  a  man  who  knows 
nothing  of  our  institutions — if  he  has  been  here  for  five 
years,  can,  providing  he  has  his  citizenship  papers. 
In  the  hands  of  such  people  our  free  institutions  are 
not  safe,  our  public  schools  are  not  stable,  and  our 
liberties  are  not  secure.  Despotism  is  necessary,  but 
not  for  a  free  people.  It  is  necessary  for  the  wolf, 
but  not  for  the  lamb ;  it  is  necessary  for  the  hawk, 
but  not  for  the  dove ;  it  is  necessary  for  the  wild  beast, 


THANKSGIVING  SERMON.  103 

but  not  for  the  free  man.  England,  the  a  mon- 
archy, is  a  free  country, — as  free  every  whit  as  ours. 
What  makes  it  free?  The  power  of  truth.  What 
makes  Wales  free?  A  free  Bible.  What  makes 
Scotland  free?  The  truth.  What  clouds  Ireland, 
especially  the  southern  part  of  it?  It  is  under  the 
same  form  of  government ;  but  ignorance  is  more  dense 
there, — and  ignorance  always  follows  in  the  steps  of 
priestcraft.  Everything  that  tends  to  nourish  this 
hydra-headed  monster  ought  to  be  crushed  under  the 
heel  of  free  and  universal  but  unsectarian  education. 
Some  sections  of  our  country  seem  to  be  in  its  grasp 
already ;  but,  thanks  be  unto  God,  our  Republic  is  not 
in  its  grasp!  Bring  religion  into  politics,  but  for 
heaven's  sake  keep  politics  out  of  religion!  And  for 
the  sake  of  the  country  and  for  the  sake  of  all  that  is 
true,  noble,  and  divine,  let  sectarianism  keep  away 
from  the  seat  of  our  government ;  yes,  be  as  far  from 
it  as  the  East  is  from  the  West.  Would  to  God  that 
the  slimy  serpent  of  sectarianism  had  been  strangled 
and  hurled  into  its  home,  the  depths  of  hell,  long, 
long  ago.  Religion  will  purify  politics,  but  sectari- 
anism will  corrupt  it.  We  have  no  church  and  state, 
and  for  this  we  give  God  thanks  most  heartily. 
Let  us  also  thank  Him  that  our  country  is  not  yet 
given  up  to  professional  politicians ;  that  it  is  yet 
"  the  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the 
people. " 


104  THANKSGIVING  SERMON 

We  should  give  thanks  because — 
"  III,  Our  country,  on  account  of  its  wonderful  re- 
sources, can  not  be  controlled  by  dreamers  and  mere 
speculators.  Our  country  is  too  big  to  be  packed 
away  in  vaults.  Our  vast  territory  is  united,  and  its 
vastness  is  almost  beyond  comprehension.  Texas 
could  wear  Germany  as  an  ulster  without  complaining 
it  was  too  long;  California  is  as  large  as  Turkey  and 
Greece.  Our  own  Keystone  State  is  three  times  as 
large  as  Switzerland;  Nevada  is  as  large  as  Italy; 
Florida  could  easily  manage  Scotland  for  a  meal — and 
that  would  be  almost  an  oat-meal.  Ohio  is  as  large  as 
Ireland,  with  18,000  square  miles  to  spare  for  an  ex- 
tra potato  crop.  Georgia  is  as  large  as  England  and 
Wales.  Kentucky  is  as  large  as — yea,  larger  than — 
Portugal ;  West  Virginia  is  larger  than  Greece.  We 
have  no  deserts,  but  have  11,000,000  square  miles  of 
arable  lands.  In  Europe  they  eat  our  cheese,  devour 
our  meat,  feast  upon  our  canned  goods,  wear  our  cot- 
ton, plow  with  our  plows,  and  reap  with  our  reapers. 
America  must  to  a  very  great  extent  become  the  feeder 
of  Europe.  With  such  a  vast  territory  she  can,  and 
she  ought,  and  she  will.  The  possibilities  of  such  a 
country  are  almost  infinite,  and  the  resources  are 
almost  boundless.  We  have  enough  of  room  for  the 
population  of  the  whole  globe,  and  then  it  would  not 
be  thicker  than  that  of  Great  Britain  to-day.  f  his 
vast  territory  is  compacted  by  a  network  of  railroads, 


THANKSGIVING  SERMON.  105 

canals,  navigable  rivers,  bays,  and  lakes.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  sea-coast  which  is  unlimited.  And  a 
country  whose  lakes  are  seas,  whose  mountains  are 
coal,  whose  hills  are  irou,  whose  rocks  give  oil,  whose 
rivers  are  white  with  sails,  whose  lakes  are  plowed  by 
mighty  steamers,  whose  valleys  groan  under  abundant 
harvests,  whose  towns  and  villages  and  hamlets  are 
studded  with  churches  and  public  schools  and  institu- 
tions of  learning,  and  whose  motto  is  "  In  God  we 
trust, " — I  say  siich  a  country  can  not  be  poor ;  such  a 
country  can  not  be  in  the  hands  of  speculators ;  such  a 
country  can  not  be  under  the  control  of  gamblers.  It 
is  destined  to  be  the  storehouse  of  the  nations.  God 
has  given  us  an  abundant  harvest.  To  Him  give 
thanks. 

Truly,  God  has  crowned  the  year  with  His  good- 
ness. And  what  a  crown  it  is !  The  crowns  of  kings 
and  queens  are  like  gaudy  toys  by  its  side.  Its  gems 
are  bright,  and  there  they  shine  with  untold  bright- 
ness, reflecting,  all  of  them,  the  goodness  of  the  Lord. 
The  reins  are  not  in  the  hands  of  dreamers  and  gam- 
blers. The  Lord  reigns,  and  He  is  King  indeed. 
The  place  of  the  United  States  among  the  nations  of 
the  world  is  an  honorable  and  an  influential  one. 
Jonathan  is  young,  but  he  is  respectable. 

"  Columbia  I  see  what  thou  art  now  : 
A  crown  of  stars  on  nature's  brow, 
With  fields  of  gold  and  teeming  marts. 


106  THANKSGIVING  SERMON. 

With  sixty  million  loving  hearts, 
Who  cling  to  thee  from  sea  to  sea 
To  guard  thy  peace  and  liberty.  " 

Our  ancestors  believed  in  the  God  of  battles ;  we  be- 
lieve in  the  Prince  of  Peace  and  the  God  of  Nations. 

We  should  give  thanks  because — 

IV.  Our  country  is  preeminently  a  Christian  coun- 
try. We  have  a  Christian  President,  who,  during 
the  great  bereavement  through  which  he  has  passed, 
knew  in  whom  to  trust ;  and  when  his  beloved  and 
excellent  Christian  wife  passed  through  the  river 
to  a  whiter  house  and  a  grander  home,  he  bowed  in 
submission  and  cried  out:  "Not  my  will,  but  Thy 
will,  0  Father,  be  done."  His  life  has  been  clean, 
and  his  character  has  been  above  reproach,  God  bless 
him! 

I  am  not  a  pessimist,  I  am  not  an  alarmist,  I  am 
not  ready  to  cry  that  our  country  is  going  to  the  devil, 
because  an  infidel  in  one  place  thunders  forth  against 
our  glorious  old  Bible,  or  because  a  bishop  in  another 
place  hurls  his  anathemas  against  our  public  schools. 
This  is  not  the  first  time  for  dogs  to  bark  at  the 
moon.  Let  them  bark,  the  moon  will  shine  as  brightly 
as  ever.  The  magnanimity  of  the  North  toward  the 
once  rebellious  but  defeated  South  proves  beyond  a 
doubt  that  the  Spirit  of  Him  who  said,  "  Father,  for- 
give them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do, "  is  here. 
The  words   of  the   immortal   Lincoln  have   burned 


THANKSGIVma  SERMON.  107 

their  way  into  the  hearts  of  the  people :  "  With  malice 
toward  none;  with  charity  for  all." 

Not  only  is  this  a  Christian  nation,  but  it  will  re- 
main so  in  spite  of  Ingersoll  and  the  Russian  Nihilists. 
It  is  barricaded  and  buttressed  with  God's  truths, 
with  Christian  teachings.  The  Bible  is  its  Magna 
Charta ;  and  through  the  influence  of  this  God-given 
Book  we  shall  see  not  a  solid  North  against  a  solid 
South,  or  a  solid  South  against  a  solid  North,  but  a 
solid  United  States  of  America,  cemented  together 
from  North  to  South  and  from  East  to  West  with 
truth,  honor,  justice,  mercy,  peace,  and  prosperity. 

We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  infidelity.  Its  voice 
is  not  very  loud ;  and  when  we  think  of  infidelity  in 
other  countries,  its  face  is  not  very  brazen.  Some  say 
that  our  rights,  our  churches,  and  our  schools  are  in 
danger  from  Catholicism.  Catholicism  all  the  world 
over  has  been  losing  ground,  and  its  progress  is  to  be 
measured  by  population  and  emigration.  In  the  early 
centuries  it  wielded  a  tremendous  power.  A  Protes- 
tant Emperor  rules  to-day  over  Germany.  In  Rome, 
we  have  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Episcopal  churches. 
In  Japan,  we  have  the  Bible  in  the  schools.  We  need 
not  fear  in  this  direction ;  still,  it  behooves  us  to  keep 
our  eyes  wide  open.  Assaults  upon  our  public  school 
system  are  numerous,  and  they  are  unwise,  and,  to  say 
the  least,  they  will  prove  ineffectual.  Free  education 
is  one  of  the  very  foundation-stones  of  our  Republic, 


108  THANKSGIVING  SERMON. 

and  this  can  not  be  separated  from  our  freedom.  Ed- 
ucation can  not  be  made  sectarian ;  and  if  any  church 
is  determined  to  build  schools  for  the  education  of  its 
own  children,  it  shall  pay  all  expenses  and  pay  also 
for  the  support  of  our  public  schools.  All  this  agita- 
tion will  be  soon  over,  for  it  is  unreasonable,  and  it 
would  be  just  as  well  to  ask  for  a  change  in  our 
form  of  Government.  And  say  the  least,  the  as- 
sault is  of  the  most  audacious  and  impious  nature;  but 
we  can  stand  this  and  more  also.  We  say  to  these 
foreign  powers ;  "  Hands  off  from  our  Stars  and 
Stripes,  or  in  God's  name  we  will  stripe  you  until  you 
see  the  stars" — that  is,  by  our  votes  and  by  our 
prayers. 

One  of  our  great  dangers  lies  in  the  direction  of 
pride  and  self-confidence.  Our  free  government,  our 
vast  resources,  our  noble  institutions,  and  our  un- 
trammeled  churches  have  a  tendency  to  create  pride, 
selfishness,  and  conceit.  The  church,  to  a  very  great 
extent,  has  left  its  true  path.  It  flirts  with  the  world. 
The  type  of  piety  now  is  too  effeminate.  We  must 
remember  Him  who  deposited  coal  in  our  mountains, 
iron,  silver,  and  gold  in  our  hills,  who  filled  the  crev- 
ices of  the  rocks  beneath  with  oil,  and  smiled  on  our 
valleys.  Let  us  thank  Him  that  the  strength  of  our 
Government  is  not  in  the  capitol  at  Washington,  not 
in  our  armies,  not  in  our  fortifications,  not  in  our 
navy.     We  have  all  this ;  but  our  Government  does  not 


THANKSGIVING  SERMON.  109 

rest  on  them  for  its  stability,  but  on  intelligent,  true, 
loyal,  Christian  people— people  whose  hearts  are  larger 
than  their  country ;  people  whose  aims  are  not  confined 
to  self ;  people  who  see  in  the  weak  their  brother,  and 
in  the  unfortunate  their  neighbor ;  people  who  are  not 
blinded  by  prejudices  arising  from  language  or  na- 
tionality; people  whose  love  of  truth  is  supreme— 
these  constitute  the  strength  of  our  Government.  The 
best  fortifications  are  the  loyal  hearts  of  the  people; 
the  best  bulwarks  are  the  pure  motives  of  the  inhab- 
itants; and  the  best  fortresses  are  minds  permeated 
with  loyalty,  integrity,  righteousness,  and  above  all 
Christ-likeness. 

"What  constitutes  a  State? 
Not  high  battlements 
Or  labored  mounds, 
Thick  wall  or  moated  gate, 
Not  cities  proud  with  spires 
And  turrets  crowned. 
No  1    Men,  high-minded  men, 
Men  who  their  duties  know, 
And  know  their  rights, 
And  knowing,  dare  maintain : 
These  constitute  a  State.  " 


SPIRITUAL  LABOR. 

By  Eev.  Gwiltm    M.  Evans,   Long  Island    City, 
New  York. 

"  And  He  said  unto  them.  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard  ;  and 
whatsoever  is  right,  that  shall  ye  receive.  " — Matt.  xx.  7. 

This  parable  was  suggested  to  the  Savior  by  a  ques- 
tion asked  by  Peter,  "  What  shall  we  have,  there- 
fore?" The  mercenary  motive  is  extremely  strong 
in  every  man.  It  sways  a  mighty  influence  over  the 
faculties  and  the  affections  of  the  soul.  The  power 
it  exerts  in  deciding  religious  matters  is  of  no  mean 
account.  The  Gospel  itself  does  not  always  remove 
and  destine  its  power,  for  if  any  man  were  ever  free 
from  it  we  should  think  that  man  to  have  been 
Peter ;  but  he  says,  representing  the  other  decision : 
"  What  shall  we  have,  therefore?  "  Just  what  Peter 
intended  to  ask  by  this  question  we  can  not  say  exactly, 
— whether  he  thought  that  the  disciples  should  have  a 
preference  over  all  others  who  entered  the  work  after, 
or  whether  they  had  a  special  claim  on  Christ's  king- 
dom. But  the  Savior  here  shows  them  their  mistake, 
and  points  out  to  them  that  God  does  not  measure  His 
110 


SPIRITUAL  LABOR.  Ill 

labor  by  the  number  of  feet  nor  days ;  and  that  he  who 
would  come  into  the  vineyard  at  the  remotest  period 
of  the  Gospel  dispensation  would  be  as  fully  and  freely 
compensated  as  John  the  Baptist,  who  rang  out  in 
clear  tones  the  approach  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
In  order  to  develop  more  fully  the  meaning  of  the 
text  in  connection  with  the  entire  parable,  we  shall 
observe  it  from  four  different  aspects. 

I.  In  its  sphere.  "  Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard." 
God  has  designed  a  certain  sphere  for  spiritual  labor; 
He  has  not  left  man  to  his  own  inclination,  taste,  and 
choice.  If  he  chooses  God  as  his  master,  he  must  be 
willing  to  act  as  a  servant.  God  has  fixed  the  place, 
the  work,  and  the  time.  In  the  East,  a  vineyard  was 
exceedingly  choice  and  select ;  the  person  owning  it 
would  ornament  it  with  works  of  art,  would  beautify 
it  with  cool  streams.  All  his  wealth  was  invested  in 
it,  his  toil  and  his  care  were  concentrated  in  it.  It  was 
a  sacred  possession ;  fathers  transmitted  it  to  sons,  and 
sons  to  grandsons.  We  have  not  a  more  beautiful  pic- 
ture of  the  church  of  the  living  God.  Whatever  the 
householder  did  to  his  vineyard  in  order  to  improve, 
cultivate,  and  protect  it  is  nothing  in  comparison  with 
what  God  has  done  and  is  doing  for  His  church.  He 
watches  over  her  with  a  never-failing  eye ;  and  while 
other  institutions  and  kingdoms  fall  and  crumble,  the 
church  will  last  forever.  Daniel,  with  the  keen  eye 
of  a  prophet,  looked  forward  and  declared  that  this 


112  SPIRITUAL   LABOR. 

kingdom  or  dominion  should  remain  and  never  end. 
It  has  come  in  splendor  never  to  wane,  in  power  never 
to  grow  less,  in  grandeur  never  to  be  clouded,  in  influ- 
ence never  to  dwindle.  The  splendor  increases,  the 
grandeur  becomes  more  prominent,  and  the  influence  is 
constantly  augmented. 

The  church  is  not  a  scattered,  disorganized  force, 
but  a  concentrated  power  which  makes  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  it  is  better  and  the  country  where  it 
is  organized  a  richer  one.  We  can  print  this  state- 
ment in  letters  of  light  without  any  fear  of  con- 
tradiction. Heaven  is  its  home,  therefore  it  is  kind. 
It  breaks  the  shackles  of  the  slave,  it  shelters  the 
exposed,  it  clothes  the  naked,  it  dries  the  burning 
tear  on  the  cheek  of  distress.  As  it  moves  it  leaves 
traces  which  speak  of  kindness ;  flowers  grow  in  its 
path;  and  in  the  darkest  night  stars  twinkle  in  its 
smile. 

II.  Spiritual  labor  supplies  work  for  all  talents. 
In  the  vineyard  all  kinds  of  work  are  done :  planting, 
watering,  pruning,  weeding,  and  dressing  are  the 
works  performed.  Without  this,  the  vine  would  fail 
to  yield  its  fruit.  In  the  church,  we  find  the  work 
as  various  and  the  talents  necessary  to  perform  it 
equally  as  various.  This  removes  any  excuse, — 
for  such  excuses  are  numerous  enough,  as  inactive 
men  excuse  themselves  for  not  doing  any  service  for 
Christ  because  they  can  not  perform  a  certain  and  a 


SPIRITUAL  LABOR.  113 

particular  part  in  that  service.  This,  of  course,  is 
nothing  but  pride ;  and  of  all  obstacles  it  is  the  great- 
est in  the  way  of  leading  an  active  and  a  useful  Chris- 
tian life.  The  meanest  laborer  in  the  vineyard  com- 
pletes the  great  band  of  workers,  and  in  a  certain  sense 
the  work  without  him  would  fail.  Hence  his  service 
is  as  honorable  and  beneficent  as  any  other  part  of  the 
great  work.     All  work  should  be  for  God. 

Some  are  differently  constituted,  others  are  differ- 
ently situated ;  and  it  is  a  difficult  task  to  convince 
people  of  all  constitutions  and  all  situations  to  believe 
that  they  may  do  and  ought  to  do  all  things  for 
God. 

The  little  brook  runs  for  God  as  well  as  the  great 
sun  shines  for  Him ;  and  this  spiritual  labor  is  so  com- 
prehensive that  every  one,  however  feeble  and  small, 
can  find  something  to  do. 

There  are  many  things  done  for  a  name,  and  many 
things  good  in  themselves  are  done  to  spite  others. 
These  things  will  perish,  — there  is  no  eternity  in  them ; 
but  work  done  for  God  dieth  not. 

III.  The  i^erformers  of  this  labor.  All  we  can 
say  about  them  is  that  they  are  commissioned  to  do 
it.  No  one  can  perform  it  if  he  is  not  commissioned. 
This  is  the  only  qualification  necessary.  Every  Chris- 
tian is  supposed  to  have  it.  It  is  not  anything  that 
man  may  carry  in  his  pocket,  or  suspend  to  his  dress, 
or  hang  as  a  picture  in  his  parlor.  Religion  is  with 
8 


114  SPIRITUAL  LABOR. 

many  something  that  they  may  put  on  and  take  off 
just  to  suit  circumstances;  but  this  commission  comes 
in  a  new  name  written  on  a  white  stone,  and  no  one 
knoweth  save  he  who  receiveth  it. 

There  has  been  a  vague  notion  in  the  world  that 
only  preachers  are  the  servants  of  God,  and  that  their 
work  is  the  only  legitimate  divine  work  that  is 
done. 

Many  an  eloquent  sermon  died  when  the  amen  was 
utttered;  but  the  holy  labor  of  self-denial  went  travel- 
ing on,  blessing  the  millions. 

Let  us  beware  of  the  shortness  of  the  time  that  we 
have  to  perform  this  labor.  While  the  flower  opens, 
the  bee  must  gather  honey ;  while  the  dew  descends 
the  plant  must  drink  it  in ;  while  life  is  ours,  ours  is 
also  the  toil,  the  fight,  the  foe. 

"  'Tis  not  for  man  to  trifle  ; 
Life  is  brief, 

And  sin  is  here  ; 
Our  age  is  but  the  falling  of  a  leaf, 

The  dropping  of  a  tear. 
We  have  no  time  to  sport  away  the  hours, 
All  must  be  earnest  in  a  world  like  ours ; 
Not  many  lives,  but  only  one,  have  we — 

One,  only  one. 
How  sacred  should  that  one  life  ever  be — 

That  narrow  span ! 
Our  being  is  no  shadow  of  thin  air, 

No  vacant  dream, 


SPIRITUAL  LABOR.  115 

No  fable  of  the  things  that  never  were 
But  only  seem  : 
'Tis  full  of  meaning,  as  of  mystery, 
Tho  strange  and  solemn  may  that  meaning  be. 

Let  us  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  our  Savior,  "  who 
went  about  doing  good." 

Time  seemed  so  short  to  our  Master  though  He 
crowded  every  moment  with  hard  work.  His  dis- 
ciples, like  ourselves,  thought  there  was  plenty  of  time 
ahead. 

"The  fields  are  already  white,"  said  Christ. 
"There  are  four  months,  and  then  cometh  harvest," 
said  the  disciples.  Four  months  of  difference.  I 
wonder  who  was  right?  He  who  crowds  now  with 
wonderful  possibilities,  and  the  only  one  who  could 
draw  on  to-morrow. 

God's  call  IS  now.  It  is  given  to  all,  irrespective 
of  age,  caste,  or  nationality.  He  says  unto  all,  "  Go 
ye  also  into  the  vineyard;  and  whatsoever  is  right, 
that  shall  ye  receive." 

IV.  The  reward  of  spiritual  labor.  It  has  its  re- 
ward in  itself;  and  what  it  does  in  aiding  us  to  employ 
our  talents,  our  time,  and  our  means  is  a  sufficient 
compensation,  even  if  there  were  no  future  reward. 
What  a  wonderful  ambition  men  have  to  commend 
their  works  to  future  generations.  But  the  works  of 
men,  like  their  authors,  sooner  or  later  decay;  and 
nothing  will  be  seen  to  commemorate  the  name  that 


116  SPIRITUAL  LABOR. 

wrought  them.  Shakespeare  says  that  the  earth  has 
bubbles  as  the  water  has ;  and  names  and  deeds  not 
being  stamped  with  truth  will  vanish  like  bubbles  in 
the  air. 

There  is  much  in  the  best  life  that  is  a  failure. 
There  is  only  one  Life  in  all  history  that  has  been  a 
success.  It  is  through  Him  that  we  finally  hope  to 
succeed.  That  is  Christ's  life.  He  said  on  the  cross, 
"It  is  finished,"  His  life  and  His  work  were  collat- 
eral. Men  have  lived  and  led  great  lives.  Young 
men  made  them  their  models;  the  world  looked  at 
them  with  envy;  poets  sang  their  fame  in  sweetest 
strains,  ministers  shouted  their  praise  in  loudest  notes, 
and  sculptors  carved  their  members  in  whitest  mar- 
bles, — and  yet  their  reward  was  only  for  a  time.  But 
he  who  is  engaged  in  spiritual  work  has  for  his  reward 
an  eternal  home  free  from  all  mystery.  He  shall  see 
face  to  face,  and  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done 
away  with.  He  shall  rejoice  in  a  complete  revelation 
of  God  and  His  truth.  He  shall  live  in  perfect  free- 
dom from  all  that  is  destructible.  This  body  that  is 
sometimes  pierced  with  pain  and  this  spirit  that  is 
often  cast  down  with  sorrow  shall  put  on  their  garb 
of  immortality,  shall  be  forever  glorified.  We  shall 
meet  in  that  everlasting  bond  of  friendship,  and  not  a 
thread  of  it  shall  ever  break,  joining  us  to  myriads 
of  other  like  tendencies,  affections,  and  occupations 
with  our  owUj  and  all  joined  to  Christ,  our  Blessed 


SPIRITUAL  LABOR.  117 

Redeemer,  who  by  the  atonement  of  His  blood  made 
us  meet  to  dwell  in  such  a  perfect  state. 

This  is  the  reward  that  awaits  the  faithful  worker 
in  the  vineyard.  Let  this  blessed  thought  of  future 
reward  create  in  us  an  intense  desire  to  do  with  our 
might  what  our  hands  find  to  do. 

"  Sow  in  the  morn  thy  seed, 
At  eve  hold  not  thy  hand  ; 
To  doubt  and  fear  give  thou  no  heed, 
Broad  cast  it  o'er  the  land.  " 


CHRIST  AS   AN    OBJECT    OF    STUDY. 

By  Eev.  Llewellyn  I.  Evans,  D.J).,  LL.D.,  Late 
Professob  of  Lane  Seminary,   Cincinnati. 

"  But  ye  have  not  so  learned  Christ. " — Ephes.  iv.  20. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  proper  study  of  mankind 
is  man.  This  does  not  imply  that  mankind  is  man's 
only  study,  nor  that  other  studies  are  uninteresting  or 
unworthy.  It  implies  that  the  study  of  man  is  a  con- 
dition, and  that  it  is  the  consummation  of  all  other 
studies.  Man  is  an  epitome,  we  say,  of  nature.  All 
the  highest  laws  and  generalizations  find  their  fullest 
realization  in  him.  He  is  the  center  to  which  all  lines 
converge.  Arts  and  sciences  are  valuable  because  they 
assist  in  the  knowledge  and  development  of  man. 

Moreover,  we  feel  a  paramount  interest  in  man.  "  I 
am  a  man,  and  nothing  human  is  without  its  interest 
for  me, "  is  a  sentiment  which  made  the  Roman  the- 
ater ring  with  applause.  Our  interest  in  man  is 
stronger  than  our  interest  in  all  else.  .  Hence  the  de- 
light which  we  all  take  in  history,  in  biography,  in 
studying  individuals,  nationalities,  of  humanity,  of 
motive,  of  character,  and  of  life. 

118 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        110 

God,  having  made  man  thus,  determined,  in  giving 
him  a  religion,  to  adapt  it  to  this  tendency.  In  Chris- 
tianity, God  has  availed  Himself  of  all  the  native  and 
irresistible  tendencies  of  our  nature.  He  had  man  to 
love  history;  he  thus  made  Christianity  historical. 
He  did  not  weave  it  into  the  original  constitution  of 
things.  It  is  not  something  which  has  grown  up  with 
man  and  out  of  him.  A  book  was  once  written  called 
"Christianity  Is  as  Old  as  Creation."  There  is  a 
sense  in  which  it  is  so.  From  the  first  the  world  has 
been  good  in  the  Christian  idea,  and  its  history  has 
been  the  development  of  that  great  idea.  But  Chris- 
tianity as  we  know  it  is  an  event,  a  fact,  a  history. 
Events  went  before  it  and  prepared  the  way  for  it. 
It  assumed  the  form  of  a  great  historical  fact.  Facts 
clustered  around  it  like  iron  filings  around  a  magnet. 
It  has  impressed  itself  on  the  facts  of  all  subsequent 
kind.  We  reckon  our  years  from  it,  and  we  call  this 
the  nineteenth  century  of  the  Christian  era. 

Again,  God  has  made  men  to  love  biography,  to 
be  fascinated  by  the  study  of  character ;  and  He  has 
adapted  Christianity  to  this  feeling.  He  has  pro- 
vided a  biography  the  like  of  which  was  never  seen, 
a  character  whose  beauty  throws  everything  into  the 
shade.  He  has  sent  the  Person  into  the  world,  the 
simple  story  of  whose  life  and  death  has  an  interest 
for  the  world  transcending  the  history  of  the  proudest 
empires,  of  the  most  brilliant  victories,  of  the  most 


120       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

tremendous  revolutions.  There  never  was  such  a 
biography  as  the  life  of  Christ.  It  may  be  printed  on 
a  modern  newspaper ;  it  may  be  read  over  in  a  few 
hours  J  yet  men  never  tire  of  it.  They  can  never 
know  too  much  about  it;  they  never  forget  it.  A 
skilful  painter  can  with  a  few  strokes  of  his  brush 
or  pencil  produce  an  admirable  likeness.  Flaxman's 
illustrations  of  Homer  are  the  merest  sketches  or  out- 
lines of  pictures,  and  yet  in  them  the  individuality  of 
the  old  Homeric  heroes  and  deities  is  almost  perfect. 

But  there  never  was  such  an  artist  as  God,  nor  such 
a  picture  as  the  life  of  Christ.  A  few  touches,  and 
we  have  it  in  its  completeness ;  a  few  facts,  sayings, 
discourses,  and  conversations — less  than  we  have  of 
almost  any  great  historical  character — and  the  picture 
stands  before  us  perfect,  complete,  inimitable,  and 
divine.  How  little  is  said,  how  much  is  left  unsaid! 
And  the  history  is  no  less  divine  in  its  silences  than 
in  its  utterances.  And  yet  something  new  may  ever 
be  found  in  it ;  for  eighteen  hundred  years  men  have 
been  stvidying  it,  and  now  they  feel  that  they  are  just 
beginning  to  get  glimpses  of  its  inexhaustible  beauty 
and  significance.  This  is  the  Christian  church, — a 
school  to  learn  Christ;  and  this  is  a  disciple, — a  stu- 
dent of  Christ.  Let  us  now  consider  Christ  as  an  ob- 
ject of  study.     "What  may  we  learn  in  Christ? 

Christ  is  an  object  of  study — 

I.  In  His  teachings. 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        121 

Teaching  is  the  highest  of  all  human  functions.  To 
teach,  to  educate,  as  you  are  aware,  is  to  lead  out,  to 
bring  forth.  The  term  is  applied  exclusively  to  lead- 
ing out  or  bringing  forth  the  mind.  And  this  is  the 
highest  occupation  in  which  any  man  can  be  engaged. 
All  great  men,  all  leaders  of  the  world,  are  in  some 
sense  or  other  teachers.  One  gathers  around  himself 
a  company  of  disciples,  of  scholars,  and  teaches  them, 
brings  out  what  is  in  them — the  truth,  the  life,  the 
power  of  their  hidden  selves.  Another  takes  an  army, 
and  teaches  it,  drills  it,  brings  out  the  obedience,  the 
courage,  the  patriotism  that  slumbers  in  those  fighting 
machines.  Another  takes  a  nation,  and  educates, 
brings  out  its  resources,  energies,  and  life.  One 
teaches  from  the  platform,  another  through  the  press ; 
one  in  a  church,  another  in  a  schoolhouse;  one  in  a 
shop,  another  on  the  street, — and  all  are  brothers 
and  fellow  workers,  and  the  work  of  each  is  a  sacred 
one.  The  highest  order  of  education  is  performed 
by  the  presentation  of  truth.  There  is  a  correspond- 
ence between  truth  and  soul.  Truth  is  fitted  for  the 
soul,  and  the  soul  for  the  truth.  Human  powers  are 
adapted  to  lay  hold  of  truth, — to  feel  it,  to  appropriate 
it,  to  apply  it.  When  truth  is  presented,  the  soul 
reaches  out  toward  it,  sends  itself  out  to  it,  comes  to 
meet  it;  to  teach  in  the  highest  sense  is  to  bring  truth 
in  contact  with  the  mind.  To  teach  successfully  is 
to  know  what  truth  to  place  before  the  mind  and  how 


122       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

to  place  it  so  as  to  bring  out  the  mind.  Now  as  teach- 
ing is  the  highest  of  all  functions,  so  Christ  is  the 
highest  of  all  teachers.  He  is  preeminently  the 
Teacher.  He  never  calls  Himself  Truth;  but  He 
says :  "  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life. "  *'  I 
am  the  Light  of  the  world."  "To  this  end  was  I 
born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I 
should  bear  witness  to  the  truth." 

Accordingly,  the  active  period  of  Christ's  ministry 
was  given  to  teaching;  and  never  was  such  a  teacher 
as  Christ.  Men  felt,  with  Nicodemus,  that  He  was  a 
Teacher  come  from  God.  They  felt  God  in  His  words 
as  well  as  in  His  works ;  as  there  was  a  divine  power 
in  His  miracles,  so  there  was  a  divine  beauty  in  His 
teaching.  It  is  said  again  and  again  that  men  were 
astonished  at  His  doctrines,  and  that  He  taught  as 
one  having  authority.  The  common  people  heard  Him 
gladly.  Men  inquired :  "  Who  is  this  Man,  and  whence 
hath  this  Man  this  wisdom?  " 

Now  it  is  true  that  the  principal  value  of  Christ's 
words  arises  from  their  relation  to  His  person  and 
works,  and  that  we  can  never  understand  them  right 
without  considering  who  it  is  that  speaks ;  and  yet 
apart  from  this  consideration  there  is  a  beauty,  a  sig- 
nificance, and  a  force  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  such 
as  can  be  found  in  those  of  no  other  man. 

Let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  one  feature — viz., 
their  comprehensiveness,  their  profound  significance. 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        123 

They  are  an  inexhaustible  mine.  The  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  is  in  itself  a  body  of  divinity ;  its  theology,  it 
is  true,  lies  in  it  not  as  in  books,  in  systematic  form, 
but  in  scattered  fragments,  as  we  find  geometry  in 
stars  or  geology  in  rocks.     Nevertheless  it  is  there. 

Consider,  again,  what  the  Sermon  says  about  God. 
Who  is  He?  The  Father  of  all.  "  After  this  manner 
pray  ye,  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven."  He  is 
the  Sovereign  of  the  universe.  "  Swear  not  at  all : 
neither  by  heaven,  for  it  is  God's  throne;  nor  by  the 
earth,  for  it  is  His  footstool ;  neither  by  Jerusalem, 
for  it  is  the  city  of  the  Great  King."  He  is  Creator, 
the  sun  is  His.  "  He  maketh  the  sun  to  rise."  *'  He 
sendeth  rain."  "He  clothes  the  grass  of  the  field." 
He  is  the  God  of  Providence.  "Behold  the  fowls 
of  the  air,  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap  nor 
gather  into  barns,  yet  your  Heavenly  Father  feedeth 
them.  Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they?"  What 
is  His  character?  He  must  be  almighty,  for  the  sun 
rises  and  the  rain  falls  at  His  bidding.  He  is  omni- 
present. Heaven,  as  we  have  seen,  is  His  throne, 
and  the  earth  is  His  footstool.  He  is  wherever  you 
may  be.  "Pray  to  thy  Father,  which  is  in  secret." 
In  whatever  secret  place  you  may  be,  God  is  there. 
He  is  omniscient.  "  Thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret 
shall  reward  you  openly. "  "  Your  Heavenly  Father 
knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things."  "  He 
is  just."     " Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one 


124       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law  till  all  be  ful- 
filled." "Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  thou  shalt  by  no 
means  come  out  thence  till  thou  hast  paid  the  utter- 
most farthing."  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have 
their  reward."  "  He  is  holy. "  "  Be  ye  therefore  per- 
fect as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  He 
is  merciful.  "If  ye  then  being  evil,  know  how  to 
give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more 
will  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good  things 
to  them  that  ask  Him?  " 

So  again  He  unfolds  the  nature  of  Christianity.  He 
exhibits  its  relations  to  Judaism,  showing  it  to  be  a 
perfect  consummation  of  the  law.  In  one  word,  He 
defines  His  own  redemptive  work.  "  Think  not  that 
I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets.  I 
am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil."  There  you 
have  Christianity  as  a  theory.  "  All  things  whatso- 
ever ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye 
even  so  to  them,  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets." 
There  you  have  Christianity  as  the  life.  "  Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart. "  There  is  the  essence  of  holi- 
ness. "They  shall  see  God."  There  is  the  fulness 
of  heaven. 

But  we  can  not  now  analyze  the  whole  discourse. 
These  are  a  few  specimens  of  what  such  an  analysis 
would  produce.  And  now,  when  we  add  all  the  other 
discourses  of  Christ — His  parables.  His  prayers,  His 
conversation,  His  incidental  remarks — and  remember 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        125 

that  there  is  in  all  the  same  suggestiveness,  the  same 
comprehensiveness  and  many-sidedness,  the  same 
depth  and  wealth  of  meaning,  is  He  not  emphatically 
the  teacher  of  the  world? 

A  student  of  Christ's  words  is  like  a  traveler  among 
the  mountains.  As  he  mounts  higher  and  higher, 
Alps  rise  on  Alps,  one  lofty  peak  reveals  another  still 
loftier.  One  green  valley  is  seen  lying  beyond  an- 
other, one  winding  into  and  out  of  the  other.  The 
horizon  expands,  the  sea  glitters  in  the  distance,  until 
at  last  one  half  of  the  world  seems  to  lie  at  his  feet. 
At  another  time  he  happens  on  a  secluded  fountain 
which  seems  to  have  sprung  out  of  the  rock  at  the 
touch  of  some  enchanter's  rod.  He  determines  to  fol- 
low it  to  its  course.  At  first  he  finds  it  a  wild  moun- 
tain rivulet  gushing  through  crevices  of  the  crags, 
leaping  in  sparkling  cascades,  and  with  joyous  laugh- 
ter hurrying  to  the  bay  below.  And  on  it  is  a  majestic 
river,  flowing  grandly  on  through  stately  forests,  amid 
smiling  valleys  and  beneath  blushing  vineyards.  Vil- 
lages and  cities  are  seated  on  its  banks ;  it  is  white 
with  the  sails  of  flieets  and  argosies  that  dance  on  the 
heavings  of  its  broad  breast,  until  at  last  it  is  lost 
in  the  boundlessness  of  the  ocean.  So  the  words 
of  Christ  unfold  new  beauties  and  grandeur.  They 
reveal  greater  heights  and  depths  and  breadths  and 
lengths.  They  spring  up  like  fountains,  and  give 
forth  streams  of  life  which  will  lead  us  on  through 


126       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

ever  lovelier  and  nobler  scenes,  bearing  us  ever  richer 
treasuries,  refreshing  the  nations,  making  glad  Zion, 
the  city  of  our  God,  carrying  us  on  heavenward  and 
Godward,  until  they  float  us  out  on  the  ocean  of  eter- 
nal life. 

II.  In  His  character — in  the  example  which  He 
has  left  us. 

"  He  has  left  us  an  example  that  we  should  follow 
His  steps."  "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also 
in  Christ  Jesus. "  "  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  Him 
without  Himself  also,  so  walks  even  as  He  walked." 

I  have  already  said  that  in  religion  God  avails  Him- 
self of  all  native  principles  and  tendencies  of  our 
nature,  and  that  one  of  the  strongest  of  these  is  imita- 
tion. Man  naturally  imitates  and  reproduces  espe- 
cially that  which  he  feels  to  be  above  himself.  The 
boy  imitates  the  man.  The  savage  copies  the  vices, 
at  least,  of  civilized  nations.  That  which  is  beautiful, 
lovely,  grand,  or  sublime  in  nature  man  loves  to  re- 
produce. That  which  is  noble,  high,  worthy  of  con- 
ception, heroic  in  action,  he  would,  to  some  extent 
at  least,  imitate.  And  altho  that  is  a  very  shallow 
theory  which  seeks  to  account  for  sin  on  the  principle 
of  imitation,  it  will  not  do  to  overlook  it,  for  it  is 
undeniably  true  that  the  force  of  example  makes  some 
men  a  great  deal  better  and  others  a  great  deal  worse 
than  they  would  otherwise  be. 

In  view  of  this  tendency,  God  has  provided  a  per- 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        127 

feet  model  for  iiniversal  imitation.  Christ  is  our  Ex- 
ample, our  perfect  Example.  On  the  one  hand,  He 
is  so  high,  so  pure,  so  divine  that  all  leel  that  He  is 
worthy  of  imitation.  On  the  other  hand,  Pie  is  so 
lowly,  so  near  to  us,  so  thoroughly  human,  that  we 
feel  that  we  may  imitate  Him.  He  is  so  high  above 
us  that  we  desire  to  reach  up  to  Him.  He  is  so  near 
to  us  that  we  feel  it  to  be  possible. 

One  of  the  principal  conditions  of  successful  imita- 
tion is  study.  Before  he  undertakes  to  produce  the 
human  face,  the  painter  must  study  it.  He  must 
scrutinize  it  well,  watch  every  motive  and  expression, 
the  play  of  every  muscle,  even  the  attitude  of  the 
head,  the  flash  of  the  eye,  the  motion  of  the  brow  and 
tremor  of  the  lip;  and  if  he  is  skilful  he  will  find  out 
and  touch  some  inner  chord,  some  hidden  spring, 
which  will  cause  the  whole  soul  to  flash  out  in  the 
face.  That  expression  he  will  transfer  to  the  canvas, 
and  you  have  the  man  before  you.  The  artist  who 
would  reproduce  some  scene  in  nature  must  fill  him- 
self with  the  spirit  of  it.  To  represent  a  thunder- 
storm he  must  become,  with  the  poet, 

"A  sharer  in  Its  fierce  and  far  delight, 
A  portion  of  tempest  and  of  night. " 

The  musician  must  fill  his  own  soul  with  harmonies 
before  he  can  produce  a  concord  of  sweet  sounds ;  then 
he  will  move  the  souls  of  others.     So,  if  we  would  re- 


128       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

produce  Christ,  Christ  must  fill  our  hearts.  And  this 
is  another  sense  in  which  the  Christian  is  a  student  of 
Christ.  He  looks  at  the  character  of  Christ;  he 
studies  Hia  life  until  he  himself  is  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  Christ.  Then  will  Christ  Himself  reproduce 
Himself  in  his  life.  "  My  little  children,  of  whom  I 
travail  in  birth  again  until  Christ  be  formed  in  you," 
writes  the  Apostle.  Christ  so  takes  possession  of  the 
whole  inner  man  of  the  Christian, — of  his  thoughts,  of 
his  feelings,  of  his  affections,  of  his  purposes,  of  his 
soul ;  then  Christ  forms  Himself  in  his  life.  So  that 
for  him  to  live  is  Christ. 

Oh,  the  wonderful  divine  life  of  Jesus!  Let  us 
make  it  our  study.  Let  us  follow  Him  everywhere, 
and  look  at  Him  in  all  positions  and  relations.  Let 
us  watch  Him  in  the  marriage-feast,  in  the  wilder- 
ness, on  the  mountain-side,  in  the  temple  at  Jeru- 
salem, in  the  humble  home  at  Bethany;  with  His 
friends  and  with  His  enemies ;  comforting  His  disci- 
ples, silencing  His  adversaries,  weeping  at  the  grave, 
and  driving  out  with  a  scourge  the  profaners  of  God's 
house;  marching  triumphantly  to  Jerusalem,  and 
washing  the  feet  of  His  followers;  denouncing  the 
Pharisees,  and  blessing  little  children ;  on  the  Mount 
of  Transfiguration,  and  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane, 
— everywhere  and  always.  How  much  may  we  learn 
from  Him !  Let  us  seek  in  all  things  to  be  like  Him : 
in  His  love  to  His  Father ;  in  His  consecration  to  His 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDV.       129 

work;  in  His  submission  to  the  divine  will ;  in  His 
love  of  men ;  in  His  desire  to  do  good ;  in  His  com- 
passion to  the  erring;  in  His  sympathy  with  suffer- 
ing; in  His  forgiveness  of  spirit;  in  His  zeal  for 
truth;  in  His  devotion  to  right;  in  His  hatred  of  sin; 
in  His  love  to  holiness.  "  Be  ye  followers  of  Christ 
as  dear  children,  and  walk  in  love  as  Christ  also  has 
loved  us,  and  hath  given  Himself  for  us  an  offering 
and  a  sacrifice  to  God  for  a  sweet-smelling  savor." 

III.   In  His  work. 

There  is  always  a  very  deep  significance  in  work. 
Work  is  the  form  in  which  an  idea  or  a  power  or  a 
personality  clothes  itself.  It  is  soul  embodying  itself 
outwardly.  It  is  always  a  sign  and  product  of  light, 
and  has  therefore  a  twofold  significance. 

Work  is  significant,  in  the  first  place,  as  a  revelation 
of  the  worker.  We  are  never  satisfied  with  simply 
beholding  a  work;  we  must  know  something  about 
the  worker.  You  see  an  inglorious  machine.  Your 
first  impulse  no  doubt  will  be  to  examine  the  work, 
to  study  the  principles  of  its  mechanism.  Having 
learned  these,  your  next  impulse  will  be  to  ask  who 
made  it.  What  is  he?  What  else  has  he  done? 
How  great  the  curiosity  of  everybody  to  know  the 
author  of  some  celebrated  anonymous  book!  And 
why?  Because  everybody  feels  that  the  book  is  of 
importance,  not  simply  because  it  contains  beautiful 
thoughts  and  touches  some  high  moral,  but  because  it 
9 


130       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

is  a  revelation  of  some  individual  soul.  We  are  not 
satisfied  with  possessing  the  Iliad.  We  must  ask: 
Who  was  Homer?  Where  was  he  born?  Was  that 
blind  old  singer  really  the  author  of  the  grand  epic, 
or  is  it  the  product  of  long  generations  of  singers? 
These  are  questions  which  have  been  deemed  worthy 
of  years  of  investigation  by  men  of  culture  and 
thought.  What  a  pity  that  we  know  so  little  about 
Shakespeare,  and  how  provoked  we  are  with  his  con- 
temporaries that  they  should  have  left  no  more  memo- 
rials of  the  greatest  genius  of  the  world!  These  facts 
show  that  the  work  is  to  be  studied  as  an  expression 
of  the  author,  the  worker. 

But  work  is  significant,  in  the  second  place,  as  a  part 
of  the  general  development  of  the  world.  God  has  a 
scheme  of  existence,  a  plan  of  work ;  and  all  that  men 
do  is  a  part  of  this  plan,  included  in  it.  Every  work 
exerts  its  own  degree  of  influence.  Everythiug  which 
is  done  has  its  bearing  on  the  destiny  of  the  world. 
Caesar's  crossing  the  Kubicon  not  only  was  indicative 
of  his  personal  character,  it  was  decisive  of  the  future 
destiny  of  Eome.  The  act  of  Washington  renouncing 
the  honors  which  a  grateful  people  desired  to  confer 
upon  him,  and  retiring  into  private  life,  not  only 
showed  the  nobility  of  the  man,  but  secured  the  es- 
tablishment of  republicanism  on  this  continent. 

So  the  works  of  this  age, — its  continental  railroads, 
its  oceanic  steamships,  its  submarine  telegraphs,  its 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        131 

cylinder  presses,  its  military  death  engines,  its  news- 
papers and  books,  its  institutions  and  laws,  its  com- 
merce and  industry,  its  factories  and  churches — all 
are  part  of  God's  plan.  The  workings  of  His  provi- 
dence show  how  far  God  has  brought  the  world. 

They  are,  moreover,  the  means  of  still  further  de- 
velopment. They  are  stepping-stones  to  still  higher 
positions.  They  are  resting-places  for  still  longer  and 
stronger  levers  wherewith  to  move  the  world. 

In  both  these  respects  the  work  of  Christ  is  the 
most  important  ever  carried  on  in  this  world.  In  its 
relation  to  the  author  it  is  a  revelation  of  the  highest 
of  all  beings, — a  product  of  divine  life,  an  embodiment 
of  the  divine  idea. 

In  its  relation  to  God' s  plan  it  is  the  central  part  of 
that  plan  which  gives  harmony  to  the  whole.  Let  us 
briefly  consider  it  in  both  these  relations.  Let  us 
look  at  the  work  of  Christ,  first,  as  an  embodiment  of 
God's  life.  When  the  Jews  persecuted  Christ  for 
healing  on  the  Sabbath  day.  His  defense  was  this: 
"  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work. "  My 
Father  is  a  worker,  I  am  a  worker,  and  My  Father's 
work  and  Mine  are  the  same.  And  this  is  one  great 
significance  of  the  work  of  Christ, — that  it  teaches  us 
that  God  is  a  worker.  Yea,  my  friends,  God  is  a 
worker,  and  He  worketh  hitherto.  You  may  argue 
as  you  please  about  the  nature  of  omnipotence  and  the 
divine  immutability,  and  you  may  say  that  it  would 


132        CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

be  derogatory  to  infinite  perfection  to  ascribe  work  to 
God  in  the  sense  which  we  ascribe  it  to  man.  You 
may  endeavor  to  explain  away  these  Scriptural  expres- 
sions as  figurative  terms,  and  seek  to  define  the  opera- 
tions of  infinity  in  other  words,  and,  as  we  may  fancy, 
better  and  plainer  words  than  those  of  inspiration. 
But  the  fact  remains  that  God's  Word  reaffirms  again 
and  again  the  truth  that  God  has  worked  and  is  work- 
ing, and  that  God's  own  Son  justifies  His  own  labor 
by  an  appeal  to  the  experience  of  His  Father. 

God  has  therefore  set  His  own  seal  upon  the  dignity 
and  sacredness  of  work.  When  God  tells  us  that  He 
is  a  worker,  He  thereby  assures  us  that  work  is  godly. 
When  He  calls  upon  us  to  consider  His  works,  he 
seems  to  say.  Behold,  these  are  My  works ;  where  are 
yours?  When  Jesus  says  that  He  is  a  worker.  He 
reminds  us  that  it  is  the  highest  of  all  duties  and  the 
greatest  of  all  privileges  to  do  the  work  of  God. 

And  now  what  shall  we  say?  What  shall  we  do? 
Shall  we  refuse  to  work?  Shall  we  submit  to  it  only 
because  we  can  not  help  it,  because  it  is  a  disagreeable 
necessity?  Shall  any  despise  it,  presume  to  feel  about 
it,  attempt  to  debase  it?  Shall  we  make  it  a  slave  of 
money  or  of  power,  or  the  badge  of  social  inferiority 
and  even  of  degradation?  Let  us  beware  lest  by  so 
doing  we  shall  be  casting  upon  God  Himself,  who 
challenges  our  regard  for  His  work,  our  admiration 
and  imitation  of  the  worker,  and  our  gratitude  and 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.       133 

love  in  return  for  the  beneficent  results  for  all  He  has 
done.  God's  experience  proves  to  us  that  a  spiritual 
being  must  vindicate  his  innate  excellence  by  activity ; 
that  the  life  which  springs  up  within  himself  should 
manifest  itself  out  of  him  and  embody  itself  in  posi- 
tive results.  The  life  of  the  infinite  has  thus  em- 
bodied itself  in  the  work  of  Christ  and  revealed  itself 
to  men. 

Notice  some  of  the  features  of  this  work.  It  re- 
veals itself,  first,  as  the  life  of  spirit.  The  work  of 
Christ  was  soul-work.  He  did  perform  body-work. 
He  was  a  mechanic,  a  carpenter,  a  member  of  the  so- 
called  laboring  classes,  and  thereby  He  has  forever 
ennobled  physical  labor — a  truth  of  profound  impor- 
tance, which,  however,  we  can  not  now  stop  to  con- 
sider. But  that  work  of  Christ  which  was  more 
especially  an  expression  of  divine  light  was  soul-work. 
It  was  hidden,  carried  on  in  the  unseen  depths  of  His 
being.  And  this  is  true  of  all  the  highest  and  most 
intense  kind  of  work.  We  see  not;  we  behold  the  re- 
sults, but  the  work  itself  we  see  only  very  partially. 
Unseen  by  mortal  eyes  and  vmheard  by  mortal  ear,  in 
secret  caverns  of  earth  and  air,  Nature's  Titan  sons 
are  daily  forging  her  thunderbolts.  It  is  only  when 
the  black  clouds  gather  and  are  hurled  to  earth  by  the 
invisible  powers  of  the  skies  that  we  remember  them 
or  think  about  their  existence.  Silently  and  unob- 
served, millions  of  sunbeams  are  hourly  busying  them- 


134       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

selves — now  above  and  now  below,  now  with  a  cloud 
now  with  the  leaf,  now  with  the  grass — never  idle  for 
a  moment.  Glancing  hither  and  thither  with  unheard 
little  laughters  of  joy,  we  see  only  the  results  of  their 
labors :  the  myriad  colors  of  sky  and  field,  the  shower 
and  the  rainbow,  the  waving  forest  and  the  harvest 
home.  The  work  that  we  do  see  is,  for  the  most  part, 
mere  surface  work.  Behold  the  raiment  of  green 
which  clothes  that  tree.  We  saw  the  process  of  fit- 
ting it  on  day  after  day.  But  who  saw  the  weaving 
of  it  or  the  loom  wherein  it  was  made?  We  see  the 
building  of  a  beautiful  edifice ;  but  who  saw  the  de- 
signing process  in  the  architect' s  brain  ?  We  see  the 
press  cast  forth  page  after  page  of  printed  thought ; 
but  who  saw  the  productions  of  trains  of  reasoning  or 
the  creation  of  those  visions  of  imagination?  We  see 
the  fire-breathing  steed  rush  over  the  continent,  we 
see  the  ocean  furrowed  by  the  keels  of  commerce,  we 
see  the  forest  felled,  and  the  desert  blossoming  like 
the  rose.  We  see  streams  of  humanity  pouring  them- 
selves through  the  marts  of  trade.  We  see  armies 
marching  and  countermarching.  But  who  sees  the 
mighty  impulse  by  which  all  this  is  done?  Who  sees 
the  spirit  of  order  brooding  over  chaos,  and  evoking 
beauty  and  life?  Who  sees  the  incubation  of  earth- 
shaking  enterprises  or  the  conceptions  of  world-encir- 
cling plans?  Who  sees  the  shuttle  of  thought  plying 
to  and  from  the  ends  of  the  earth?     Who  views  the 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.       135 

strong  passions  which  throb  in  the  heart  of  humanity? 
And,  greater  than  all,  more  beautiful  than  all, 
more  heavenly  than  all,  which  is  seen,  behold  God's 
kingdom  on  earth,  "  the  holy  Jesus  who  has  descended 
out  of  heaven,  from  God,  having  the  glory  of  God, 
and  her  light  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious;  God's 
holy  temple,  built  upon  the  foundation  of  apostles  and 
prophets;  the  city  of  the  Great  King  who  has  no  need 
of  sun  or  moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory  of  God 
lightens  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof."  Be- 
hold the  "  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first- 
born, whose  names  are  written  in  heaven " ;  behold 
"  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness."  "  This  is  the  Lord's  doing,  it  is  mar- 
velous in  our  eyes."  This  is  the  Lord's  work,  the 
work  of  the  Teacher,  the  work  of  Christ,  which  He- 
accomplished  while  here  upon  earth, — the  product  of 
His  life,  the  creation  of  His  spirit,  the  travail  of  His 
soul.  Infinite  wisdom  organized  it,  infinite  power 
established  it,  infinite  holiness  strengthened  it,  infinite 
justice  guarded  it,  infinite  love  inspired  it, — and  all 
of  this  was  realized  in  the  soul  of  Christ.  This,  God's 
work  (I  say),  this  kingdom  of  heaven,  this  church,  or 
by  whatever  name  it  may  be  called,  was  born  of  the 
inspirations  of  divine  wisdom  in  Christ,  of  the  exer- 
tion of  His  divine  power,  of  the  aspiration  of  His  per- 
fect holiness,  of  the  sentiments  of  liis  God-like  justice, 
out  of  the  yearnings  of  His  unmeasured,  unfathomable 


136        CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  CF  STUDY. 

love.  He  thought  for  us,  He  struggled  for  man,  He 
conquered  for  humanity.  He  worked  for  the  world. 
He  broke  the  power  of  evil,  He  crushed  the  head  of 
the  serpent,  He  proved  that  God  is  stronger  than  sin, 
that  right  is  braver  than  wrong.  In  Him  heaven  con- 
quered hell,  holiness  routed  the  kingdom  of  darkness, 
and  immortality  swallowed  up  death.  But  who  saw 
that  work?  Thirty  years  of  silence,  of  devout,  quiet, 
retired  labor,  as  a  humble  artisan  of  Nazareth ;  three 
years  of  speech — only  three — and  that  not  of  a  demon- 
strative, exciting  character ;  not  like  that  of  John  the 
Baptist;  but  of  a  noiseless,  retired  kind — simple  in- 
struction given  on  a  hillside,  in  a  boat,  in  a  poor 
dwelling,  often  charging  the  people  they  should  not 
make  Him  known,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  what  was 
spoken  by  Isaiah,  the  prophet,  saying :  "  Behold  My 
servant  whom  I  have  chosen,  My  beloved  in  whom 
My  soul  is  well  pleased;  I  will  put  My  spirit  upon 
Him,  and  He  shall  show  judgment  to  the  Gentiles; 
He  shall  not  strive  nor  cry,  neither  shall  any  man 
hear  His  voice  in  the  streets ;  a  bruised  reed,  shall  He 
not  break,  and  smoking  flax,  shall  He  not  quench,  till 
He  send  forth  judgment  unto  victory."  As  when  the 
woman  with  the  issue  of  blood  was  healed,  virtue  had 
gone  forth  out  of  Him  unbeknown  to  the  disciples,  or 
to  the  throng  which  crowded  around  Him,  so  a  silent 
spiritual  influence  streamed  forth  unseen  out  of  the 
divine  life  for  the  healing  of  the  world.     Who  saw  it? 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        137 

Who  saw  omnipotent  energies  within  Him  struggling 
with  the  forces  of  darkness?  Who  saw  the  power  of 
an  endless  life  gaining  the  victory  in  Him  over  the 
world  of  sense?  Who  saw  that  spiritual  bride  who 
walked  beside  Him,  all-glorious  within,  that  He  might 
bring  her  to  the  King  in  raiment  of  needlework  and 
present  her  to  Himself,  a  glorious  church,  not  having 
spot  nor  wrinkle  nor  any  such  thing,  but  wholly  with- 
out blemish? 

Such  is  God's  work.  The  kingdom  of  God  cometh 
not  with  observation,  neither  shall  they  say,  "  Lo 
here  or  lo  there,  for  behold  the  kingdom  of  God  is  with 
you."  The  work  of  God  is  spiritual  in  the  soul ;  with- 
in; within  Himself,  within  Christ,  within  man,  and 
it  is  by  the  agencies  which  Christ  has  organized,  by 
the  powers  which  Christ  has  created,  by  the  influences 
which  Christ  has  established,  by  the  spirit  which 
Christ  has  breathed  into  the  world,  that  God  is  carry- 
ing on  His  work  in  the  world  to-day.  They  are  un- 
seen, but  they  are  real  and  living.  The  eye  of  sense 
may  not  see  them,  skepticism  may  scoff  at  them, 
worldly  wisdom  may  underrate  or  entirely  overlook 
them.  But  by  these,  God  will  confound  them  all. 
The  spirit  of  Christ  will  overthrow  all  wrong,  over- 
turn all  evil,  establish  righteousness,  diffuse  peace, 
regenerate  society,  and  finish  the  glorious  and  heavenly 
work  which  He  has  begun. 

Another  feature  of  the  work  of  Christ  which  we 


138       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

must  notice  is  that  it  is  a  labor  of  sorrow.  Most  holy 
and  divine  in  this  world  is  the  mission  of  sorrow. 
Wise  and  blessed  is  he  who  beneath  the  boisterous 
voices  of  the  world,  its  hollow  laughter,  and  mocking 
vociferations,  and  harsh  discord  and  din,  has  learned 
to  hear  oftentimes  the  still,  sad  music  of  humanity. 
Not  harsh  nor  grating,  tho  of  ample  power  to  chasten 
and  subdue,  to  discern  that  deep  undertone  of  grief, 
where  mingled  mourning  after  lost  joys,  sobbings  for 
departed  purity,  sighings  of  a  life's  failures  and  mur- 
muring aspirations  after  unrealized  ideals,  of  virtue, 
beauty,  and  truth.  Blessed  I  say  is  he  who  has  heard 
these ;  thrice  blessed  is  he  who,  having  heard  it,  attunes 
his  own  heart  to  it,  then  goes  forth  chastened  and 
subdued,  with  soul  vibrating  tremulous  to  the  stillest, 
saddest  tones,  yet  "  bating  not  one  jot  of  heart  or 
hope"  to  lighten  human  burdens,  to  redeem  human 
wrongs,  to  fight  manfully  its  battles.  But  whoever 
felt  all  this  as  Christ  did  ?  Whose  soul  is  sensitive 
as  His  to  grief  and  suffering  and  sins  of  the  world? 
Who  like  Him  ever  took  upon  himself  the  burdens  of 
humanity— its  misery  and  wo?  Whoever  sorrowed 
as  He,  and  that  for  others?  "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be 
baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be 
accomplished. "  "  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful, 
even  unto  death."  Go  to  Gethsemane  and  Calvary. 
They  tell  the  story  of  Christ's  work.  They  tell  of 
the  agony  of  the  Eternal  Son  of  God.     And  this  is  the 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        139 

work  of  God — the  work  of  iufinite  holiness  in  opposi- 
tion to  sin ;  the  work  of  infinite  mercy  in  behalf  of 
erring  and  suffering  children ;  the  work  of  a  Being  of 
infinite  sympathy ;  and  to  subdue  that  which  is  most 
hateful  to  Himself,  and  to  save  and  to  glorify  that 
which  is  most  holy  and  precious  in  His  sight. 

Above  all,  it  is  a  work  of  love.  And  here  is  the 
divine  support  under  this  infinite  sorrow.  The  work 
was  prompted  by  love,  it  was  schemed  by  love,  it  was 
inspired  in  every  part  of  it  by  love ;  it  was  everlast- 
ing love  without  beginning  or  end  that  sustained  God's 
love  in  the  day  of  His  humiliation,  when  He  was  a 
Man  of  Sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief,  and  that 
bore  Him  through  the  dark  and  terrible  hour  of  death. 
It  is  the  same  love  that  is  now  working  in  the  world, 
extending  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  overcoming  selfish- 
ness, subduing  pride,  vanquishing,  expelling  jeal- 
ousy, routing  out  bitterness,  melting  indifference,  dif- 
fusing peace,  gentleness,  and  joy,  inspiring  strength, 
courage,  and  life,  wherever  there  are  hearts  to  feel, 
minds  to  understand,  and  spirits  to  work. 

And  is  not  this  the  greatest  of  God's  works? 
Where  shall  we  know  Him  as  we  do  here?  Of  all 
His  works,  this  contains  the  most  of  Himself,  the  most 
of  God.  He  has  projected  more  of  His  divine  char- 
acter, more  of  the  truth  of  His  being,  more  of  the 
essence  of  His  own  inner  life,  into  this  than  into  all 
His  other  works  combined.     Nowhere  has  God  worked 


140       CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

as  in  Jesus  Christ ;  nowliere  has  He  shown  what  He 
can  do  as  in  the  work  of  salvation ;  nowhere  do  His 
word  and  power  blaze  forth  as  in  the  redemption  of 
fallen  man.  Elsewhere  He  has  shown  us  that  He  is 
glorious ;  but  here  He  shows  us  that  He  is  willing  to 
lay  aside  His  glory  that  He  may  show  mercy  to  the 
erring.  His  other  works  prove  His  power  to  hold  the 
universe  together,  to  sustain  and  direct  all  its  forces ; 
but  this  work  proves  His  moral  almightiness ;  that  He 
has  power  to  limit  His  own  infinity  and  eternity; 
that  He,  the  Infinite,  can  reveal  Himself  to  humanity; 
that  He,  the  Eternal,  can  show  Himself  in  time — and 
that  to  save  the  guilty. 

Nature  teaches  us  that  the  divine  Word  in  a  general 
way  watches  over  the  interests  of  the  least  of  its  crea- 
tures. But  in  Christ  we  see  that  God  can  humble 
Himself  in  person  to  His  own  creatures  which  He  has 
made,  that  His  creatures  may  learn  to  love  Him  and 
trust  Him  once  more.  Ah,  infinite  conditions,  infinite 
power,  infinite  greatness!  Where  can  we  learn  so 
much  of  God  as  here?  And  yet  men,  with  this  great 
and  glorious  revelation  before  them ;  men  with  Bibles 
in  their  hands  and  with  Christ  portrayed  before  them 
as  the  manifestation  of  the  Father — men  can  turn  away 
from  the  contemplation  of  this  work  of  God  with  never 
a  tear  in  their  eye,  with  never  a  prayer  upon  their 
lips,  with  never  a  quiver  of  the  heart !  They  can  even 
fail  to  see  that  there  is  anything  divine  about  it  at 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.       141 

all.  They  can  not  see  God's  finger  iu  it.  And  why? 
Because  God  is  not  altogether  the  same  in  this  as 
in  His  other  works.  But  ah,  my  brother,  do  you  not 
see  that  He  is  different  only  because  here  He  is  alto- 
gether greater,  higher,  more  truly  Himself;  because 
here  He  has  shown  that  He  can  do  what  we  could 
never  have  dreamed  He  could  do  there ;  because,  great 
as  His  love  everywhere  makes  itself  known  to  be,  here 
He  has  shown  that  it  passeth  knowledge,  and  is  incom- 
prehensible in  its  boundlessness?  And  shall  we  judge 
the  higher  by  the  lower,  the  greater  by  the  less? 
Because  light,  as  reflected  by  the  moon  and  stars, 
does  not  enable  men  to  read,  to  work,  and  to  discharge 
most  of  the  necessary  duties  of  life,  shall  a  man  shut 
his  eyes,  and  say  the  light  is  good  for  nothing — and 
that  even  while  the  sun  is  pouring  its  radiance  all 
around  him?  Would  you  not  say  to  him.  Friend,  if 
you  wish  to  know  what  light  is  and  what  are  its  uses, 
first  open  your  eyes  and  see  it,  not  in  the  moon  and 
stars  where  it  is  furnished,  but  in  the  sun  where  there 
is  most  of  it.  If,  because  in  the  case  of  a  small  stone, 
I  can  resist  the  law  of  gravitation  by  throwing  it  up, 
I  should  say  the  gravitation  is  inadequate  to  preserve 
the  universe,  would  you  not  tell  me  to  look  at  its 
action  on  a  larger  scale — holding  the  ocean  to  the  earth 
and  binding  every  planet  to  its  suns?  Would  you 
not  require  me  to  study  it  where  it  seems  strongest? 
And  if  we  wish  to  know  God,  should  we  not  look  at 


142        CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

Him  first  where  there  is  the  most  of  deity?  If  we 
wish  to  know  what  love  can  do,  should  we  not  look  at 
it  where  it  has  done  its  utmost?  Should  we  not  con- 
template it  where  it  is  strongest?  Brethren,  if  we 
wish  to  know  God,  let  us  study  Christ.  If  we  desire 
to  know  what  divine  wisdom  is,  let  us  look  at  Christ, 
for  He  is  the  Wisdom  of  God.  If  we  wish  to  know 
what  divine  power  is,  let  us  feel  Christ,  for  He  is  the 
Power  of  God.  In  Him  dwells  all  the  f  alness  of  the 
Godhead,  and  ye  are  complete  in  Him. 

So  much  concerning  the  work  of  Christ  in  its  rela- 
tion to  the  author.  Concerning  its  relation  to  God's 
plan,  we  can  not  now  speak ;  but  may  I  not  ask  you 
to  make  it  the  study  of  your  thoughts  in  connection 
with  the  other  themes  presented? 

And  shall  we  not  make  Christ  the  object  of  our 
study  more  faithfully  than  ever?  What  nobler,  wor- 
thier occupation  can  we  engage  in?  The  noblest 
study  of  earth,  the  highest  study  of  heaven,  which 
things  the  angels  desire  to  look  into,  an  endless  study : 
Christ  in  all  His  attributes,  in  all  His  offices,  in  all  His 
fulness,  in  the  unsearchable  riches  of  His  grace — what 
a  boundless  field  is  here !  We  have  thus  no  more  than 
skirted  one  or  two  of  its  borders,  barely  hinting  at  what 
lies  beyond.  How  infinite  is  each !  While  wondering 
at  one  glory,  another  discloses  itself;  as  new  discover- 
ies are  continually  made  in  the  heavens ;  as  the  invis- 


CHRIST  AS  AN  OBJECT  OF  STUDY.        143 

ible  is  made  visible,  and  the  visible  known ;  as  nebulae 
are  resolving  themselves  into  constellations  and  suns ; 
as  systems  open  beyond  systems  and  the  skies  rise 
above  skies, — so  in  Christ  some  new  beauty  will  reveal 
itself,  glory  resting  upon  glory,  heavens  expanding 
above  heavens,  morn  rising  on  mid-noon,  day  burst- 
ing through  day,  and  brightening  forever  into  an  eter- 
nal noon. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

By  Rev.  Owen  Evans,  Minneapolis,   Minn. 

"And  every  one  that  hath  this  hope  set  on  Him,  purifieth 
himself  even  as  He  is  pure.  " — 1  John  iii.  3  (R.  V.)  • 

The  word  "  set"  was  inserted  by  the  revisers,  prob- 
ably to  make  it  plainer  to  tlie  reader  that  the  pronoun 
"Him"  in  the  text  is  to  be  understood  objectively  as 
referring  to  God,  mentioned  in  the  previous  verse: 
"Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God," — or,  rather, 
the  "children  of  God,"  denoting  endearment.  What 
the  Apostle  says  in  the  text  seems  to  be,  that  every 
one  possessing  the  hope  described  in  the  previous 
verse,  which  is  set  on  God  as  its  ground,  purifieth 
himself  even  as  He  is  pure.  We  may  mark,  first  of 
all,  the  universality  of  the  language  used  by  the  Apos- 
tle in  this  Epistle  generally,  and  in  this  chapter  es- 
pecially :  such  as  the  expressions  "  every  one "  and 
"whosoever,"  which  appear  so  frequently.  The  use 
of  such  expressions  arises  from  two  opposite  causes — ■ 
viz.,  superficiality  and  profundity.  Superficial  per- 
sons deal  in  platitudes  and  generalities  to  cover  their 
ignorance — those  that  have  not  arrived  at  "  full  age, " 

144 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  145 

as  another  Apostle  has  it,  and  have  not  exercised  their 
senses  to  discern  both  good  and  evil.  But  we  may  rest 
assured  that  such  is  uot  the  case  with  the  Apostle  John. 
Ou  the  contrary,  his  use  of  the  words  arises  from  the 
fact  that  in  handling  any  subject  he  penetrates  to  its 
very  roots  aud  finds  out  the  principles  that  govern  it ; 
hence  the  use  of  these  broad  expressions.  Principles 
are  universal  in  both  the  natural  and  the  spiritual 
world.  As  a  law  is  that  which  is  universal  in  phenom- 
ena, so  a  principle  is  that  which  is  universal  in  causes. 
Therefore  we  find  that  laws  emanate  from  principles. 
Familiar  examples  of  this  may  be  given  from  the 
natural  world.  For  instance,  the  law  of  gravitation 
emanates  from  the  principle  of  force  in  matter;  and 
all  the  laws  of  growth  in  nature  derive  their  power 
from  the  principle  of  organic  life.  Let  us  extend 
this  to  the  spiritual  world,  and  we  shall  find  that  there, 
also,  laws  are  derived  from  principles.  The  "  law  of 
sin, "  as  the  Apostle  Paul  calls  the  uniform  tendency 
of  the  soul  to  do  evil,  arises  from  the  principle  of 
lawlessness  in  the  heart,  as  shown  by  the  Apostle 
John  in  this  chapter.  We  touch  here  on  the  character- 
istic features  of  the  two  great  Apostles.  The  one  revels 
in  pointing  out  the  region  of  law,  and  the  other  de- 
lights in  tracing  the  action  of  principles.  Paul  dwells 
mainly  on  the  universal  appearance  of  evil,  deducing 
therefrom  one  great  law  of  sin ;  while  John,  penetra- 
ting under  all  appearances,  grasps  the  principle  under- 
10 


146'  THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

lying  these  appearances — the  spirit  of  lawlessness  in 
the  human  heart.  The  moral  law  in  the  same  man- 
ner emanates  from  the  cardinal  principles  of  love, 
justice,  and  holiness,  which  are  further  reduced  by 
Christ  to  the  great  principle  of  love.  But  moral 
principles  must'  of  necessity  terminate  in  a  person; 
hence  John,  in  the  twenty -ninth  verse  of  the  previous 
chapter,  says :  "  If  ye  know  that  He  is  righteous,  ye 
know  that  every  one  that  doeth  righteousness  is  born 
of  Him."  Here  the  Apostle  argues  from  the  law  of 
conduct — "  doeth  righteousness" — to  the  principle  of 
life — "is  born  of  Him."  We  find  the  same  line  of 
argument  in  a  different  form  in  the  text.  Instead 
of,  as  above,  deducing  the  principle  from  the  action  of 
law,  here  he  deduces  the  action  of  law  from  the  prin- 
ciple. The  action  of  the  law  is  shown  by  the  words 
"purifieth  himself,"  and  the  principle  denoted  by  the 
words  "this  hope  set  on  Him."  The  law,  then,  is 
that  of  self -purification,  and  the  principle  that  of  hope 
grounded  on  God. 

To  these  two  we  shall  endeavor  to  direct  your  atten- 
tion. First,  the  principle — "this  hope  set  on  Him." 
These  words  point  out  to  us  both  the  nature  and  the 
ground  of  the  Christian's  hope.  The  word  "this" 
points  to  the  nature  of  the  hope,  and  the  words  "  set 
on  Him"  point  to  the  ground  for  this  hope.  Let  us 
then,  first  of  all,  look  at  the  nature  of  this  hope.  I 
hardly  need  to  tell  you  that  not  every  kind  of  hope 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  147 

possesses  the  power  of  self-purification.  How  many 
hopes  in  the  human  breast  turn  out  fruitless,  wither 
and  fall  to  the  ground  like  autumn  leaves!  As  our 
paths  in  the  fall  of  the  year  are  strewn  with  withered 
leaves  and  flowers  that  once  have  adorned  the  trees,  and 
crowned  forest  and  meadow  with  beauty  and  fragrance, 
so  as  we  advance  in  years  the  paths  of  life  are  also 
strewn  with  withered  hopes  that  have  been  once  our 
delight  and  joy.  It  Avould  be  well  for  the  young  to 
take  note  of  this.  The  young  heart  is  like  a  May  gar- 
den, replete  with  buds  and  blossoms  of  hope.  And 
what  is  more  natural  than  that  a  young  man  or  a 
young  woman  should  hope  for  long  life  and  happiness, 
for  health,  wealth,  and  honor,  to  be  surrounded  by 
loving  friends  and  dear  relations,  and  at  some  period 
of  life  to  accomplish  some  great  work  Avhich  the  world 
will  not  willingly  let  die,  but  will  hold  in  honor  and 
sacredness  with  its  choicest  and  most  precious  trea- 
sures? Alas!  by  one  poisonous  blast,  coming  stealth- 
ily in  the  gloom  of  night,  all  these  bright  hopes  are 
blighted  forever.  It  may  be  that  he  or  she  hangs  a 
while  like  a  withered  leaf,  or  falls  at  once  to  the  silent 
grave.  Such  are  all  earth-born  hopes;  they  return 
to  the  earth  from  whence  they  come.  From  earth  to 
earth  measures  the  extent  of  their  course.  Some  form 
wider  cycles  than  others ;  but  all  earth-born  hopes, 
without  exception,  return  like  tired  birds,  to  hide  their 
weary  heads  within  the  nest. 


148  THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

Not  so,  my  friends,  is  the  hope  "  set  on  Him." 
This  is  a  heaven-born  hope  which  will  never  die.  It 
does  not  belong  to  the  bubbles  of  earth,  nor  even  to 
any  of  the  worlds  that  move  within  the  cycles  of  time. 
It  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  therefore,  that  we 
should  understand  the  nature  of  this  hope.  Kef  erring 
to  the  previous  verse,  we  find  that  it  consists  in  a  holy 
aspiration  to  be  like  God.  "  Beloved,  now  are  we 
children  of  God,  and  it  is  not  yet  made  manifest  what 
we  shall  be.  We  know  that  if  He  shall  be  manifested 
we  shall  be  like  Him;  for  we  shall  see  Him  even  as 
He  is"  (R.  v.).  The  Apostle  John  uses  a  pronoun 
here  without  a  nominative  when  he  says  that  "  if  He 
shall  be  manifested,  we  shall  be  like  Him,"  etc. 
John  was  more  of  a  divine  than  a  grammarian,  and 
more  of  a  Christian  than  either.  And  I  rather  think 
his  intense  love  of  Jesus  caused  him  here  to  make  an 
unconscious  reference  to  Him  without  having  previ- 
ously mentioned  His  name.  The  reasoning,  then, 
underlying  these  profound  words  seems  to  be :  As  Jesus 
is  "the  effulgence  of  His  Father's  glory,  and  the  very 
image  of  His  substance,"  when  "He  shall  be  mani- 
fested, we  shall  be  like  Him" ;  and  to  be  like  Him  will 
be  to  be  like  our  Father.  This  hope,  therefore,  is  the 
hope  of  a  child  to  be  like  his  father.  What  more  natu- 
ral than  for  a  child  to  wish  and  to  hope  to  be  some 
day  like  his  father,  if  the  latter  is  in  any  way  worthy 
of  the  name?     But  the  natural  child  is  often  more 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  149 

concerned  about  following  his  father  in  stature  and 
strength  than  in  moral  character.  Not  so  with  the 
child  of  God ;  he  has  no  hope  of  ever  reaching  the 
altitude  of  his  Father's  natural  attributes.  He  never 
expects  to  become  omnipotent,  omniscient,  nor  infinite. 
But  he  aspires  to  a  higher  altitude  than  this.  He 
aspires  to  be  like  his  Father  in  His  most  excellent 
glory ;  in  love,  righteousness,  and  holiness.  The  best 
elements  are  the  most  communicable  both  in  the  nat- 
ural and  the  spiritual  world.  If  a  man  were  shel- 
tered by  a  firm  and  rugged  rock  ever  so  long,  it  would 
not  impart  its  firmness  nor  its  strength  to  him.  But 
if  he  breathed  the  pure  air  and  basked  in  the  glorious 
sunshine  of  a  summer's  day,  it  would  not  be  long  be- 
fore he  felt  that  these  elements  had  imparted  some  of 
their  purity  and  buoyancy  to  his  own  constitution.  It 
is  so  with  the  child  of  God;  if  he  dwelt  forever  with 
omnipotence  and  infinitude,  they  could  never  impart 
one  particle  of  their  nature  to  him.  But  when  he 
breathes  the  pure  atmosphere  of  holiness  in  fellow- 
ship with  Jesus,  and  bathes  his  soul  in  the  sunshine  of 
His  love,  he  soon  finds,  like  the  Apostle  Paul,  that  he 
also  reflects  as  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and  is 
being  "  transformed  into  the  same  image  from  glory 
to  glory,  even  as  from  the  Lord  the  Spirit"  (R.  V.). 
This,  then,  in  an  essential  manner,  is  a  Christian  hope 
foreign  to  the  carnal  mind.  The  ungodly  may  hope 
for  forgiveness  of  his  sins  and  for  some  kind  of  heaven 


150  THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

hereafter ;  but  a  true  desire  to  be  holy,  and  a  hope  to 
be  ever  like  God,  is  not  within  the  province  of  his 
experience. 

Let  us,  in  the  next  place,  examine  the  grounds  of  this 
hope.  According  to  the  new  rendering  of  the  text, 
as  we  have  seen,  the  ground  of  this  hope  is  God,  as 
shown  in  the  words  "  set  on  Him"  referring  to  the 
foregoing  words :  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  [or, 
rather,  children]  of  God."  When  we  begin  to  reflect 
upon  our  earthly  hopes,  we  discover  that  they  are  not 
so  wrong  as  they  are  groundless.  But  you  may  say  it 
is  wrong  to  hope  for  things  you  have  no  grounds  to 
hope  for.  My  answer  is.  You  can  not  help  it.  And 
this  is  a  conclusive  proof  to  me  that  man  is  greater 
than  his  present  environment — i.e.,  greater  than  the 
world  and  all  its  resources.  His  hopes  and  longings 
reach  out  far  and  away  beyond  the  border  of  the  seen 
and  material  universe,  into  the  unseen  and  eternal 
regions.  You  can  tell  the  difference  between  sea  and 
land  birds  by  the  length  and  strength  of  their  wings. 
The  wings  of  the  former  are  intended  for  long  and 
sustained  action  in  their  sweep  along  the  surface  of 
the  great  ocean.  Man's  soul,  in  a  similar  manner,  is 
not  intended  for  this  material  world,  but  has  long 
and  strong  wings  of  hope  and  affection  wherewith  to 
span  the  ocean  of  eternity.  This  hope,  then,  reach- 
ing as  it  does  beyond  the  limits  of  time  and  the  mate- 
rial creation,  must  have  a  foundation  which  is  eternal 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  161 

and  spiritual  in  its  nature.  Such  a  high  hope  as  this 
requires  a  strong  foundation.  When  a  high  tower  is 
to  be  built,  like  the  Eiffel  in  Paris,  it  must  have  a  wide 
base  and  a  firm  foundation.  So  with  regard  to  this 
tower  of  hope,  which  reaches  far  above  the  liighest 
peak  of  this  material  world,  it  requires  a  wide  base 
and  a  firm  foundation.  In  fact,  there  is  no  founda- 
tion sufficiently  wide  or  strong  for  such  a  hope  as  this 
within  the  range  of  this  present  world.  None  other 
than  God  Himself  will  adequately  fill  the  conditions  of 
a  safe  foundation  for  such  a  glorious  hope.  From  the 
previous  passage  we  infer  that  one  pillar  on  which 
this  hope  rests  is  God's  love  as  a  Father.  "  Behold," 
says  the  Apostle,  "  what  manner  of  love  the  Father 
hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  chil- 
dren of  God." 

This,  then,  being  a  child's  hope  to  be  like  his 
father,  rests  upon  a  father's  love  toward  his  chil- 
dren. But  in  nature  the  father's  love  for  tlie  child 
can  not  be  made  a  ground  of  hope  that  he  shall  be  like 
him.  Many  a  paternal  Solomon  has  been  sadly  dis- 
appointed in  witnessing  his  Rehoboam  growing  up  so 
unlike  himself  in  Avisdom  and  understanding.  Not  so 
in  the  province  of  grace.  God's  love  as  a  Father  is  a 
guaranty  tliat  all  His  children  shall  be  made  like 
Him.  The  inheritance  of  God's  child  lies  in  his  ability 
to  enjoy  his  Father,  or  rather  his  Father  is  his  inher- 
itance ;  and  we  are  taught  by  the  most  modern  philos- 


152  THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

ophy  that  perfect  life  and  enjoyment  consists  in  being 
in  perfect  harmony  with  our  environment.  God's 
child's  environment  in  this  case  is  his  Father;  and  to 
enjoy  perfect  life  and  happiness,  therefore,  he  must 
be  brought,  as  to  his  nature,  his  disposition  and  taste, 
into  perfect  harmony  with  his  Father.  It  would  be 
utterly  barbarous  for  a  natural  father  who  lived  in 
affluence  to  leave  his  child  in  ignorance,  and  to  let  him 
grow  up  entirely  uncultivated  and  uncouth,  and  there- 
fore void  of  all  ability  to  enjoy  his  father's  vast  posses- 
sions. It  is  far  more  unthinkable,  my  friends,  that 
our  heavenly  Father  would  leave  any  of  His  children 
unqualified  to  enjoy  their  eternal  inheritance  in  sweet 
fellowship,  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  with  Himself 
and  His  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ.  The  power  to  bring 
this  about  is  inherent  in  the  very  love  on  which  it  is 
grounded.  God  has  bestowed  this  manner  of  love  on 
us  to  enable  us  to  bestow  this  manner  of  hope  on  Him. 
It  belongs,  then,  to  the  eternal  fitness  of  things  that 
the  child  should  be  thoroughly  qualified  to  enjoy  his 
father's  love.  This  will  become  clearer  when  we  con- 
sider further  that  the  other  pillar,  so  to  speak,  on 
which  this  hope  rests  is  the  revelation  of  the  Father's 
love  in  His  dear  Son.  A  son  is  the  natural  revelation 
of  a  father;  so  here  the  Father's  love  is  revealed  in 
the  Eternal  Son.  Let  heaven  and  earth  marvel  at  this 
miracle  of  grace.  The  Son  was  made  a  slave  that  the 
slave  might  be  made  a  son ;  yea,  the  divine  Person  has 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  153 

become  as  near  as  possible  to  the  likeness  of  a  sinner 
in  order  that  the  sinner  may  be  brought  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  likeness  of  God.  Jesus  thus  becomes 
not  only  the  ground  of  this  hope,  but  also  the  means 
of  its  realization.  All  the  promises  of  God,  confirmed 
by  His  oath,  are  **  in  Him,  yea,  and  in  Him  amen, "  that 
we  m?y  have  strong  encouragement  who  have  fled  for 
refuge  to  lay  hold  of  the  hope  set  before  us  which  we 
have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul — a  hope  both  sure  and 
stedfast,  and  entering  into  that  which  is  within  the 
veil,  whither,  as  a  forerunner,  Jesus  entered  for  us  " 
(K.  v.). 

Let  us,  in  the  next  place,  look  at  the  action  of  the 
law  emanating  from  this  principle  of  hope  in  the 
soul,  which  is  set  forth  in  the  words  of  the  text: 
"  Every  one  that  hath  this  hope  set  on  Him  purifieth 
himself  even  as  He  is  pure."  Mark  the  universality 
of  the  law  as  shown  in  the  words  "every  one."  It 
acts  uniformly  without  exception.  This  law  is  as  cer- 
tain in  its  action  as  any  law  in  nature;  yea,  even  more 
so,  as  the  spiritual  is  higher  than  the  natural  world; 
therefore  the  action  of  its  laws  is  less  liable  to  be  im- 
peded by  any  higher  law,  as  is  the  case  sometimes  in 
the  natural  world.  If  growth  and  development  spring 
from  the  principle  of  life  in  nature,  in  a  greater  de- 
gree, then,  we  may  look  for  self-purification  arising 
from  the  principle  of  hope  in  the  soul.  It  may  be 
remarked,  first,  in  a  general  way,  that  hope  awakens 


154  THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

the  soul  from  its  dormant  state  and  stirs  it  to  action. 
When  a  new  hope  enters  the  heart,  it  revives  the 
drooping  spirit  and  imparts  new  life  to  the  enfeebled 
energies  of  the  soul.  This  is  true  of  all  hope ;  and  as 
action,  like  motion  in  nature,  has  a  purifying  ten- 
dency, any  kind  of  hope  is  better  than  none  at  all  to 
set  the  soul  in  motion  to  avoid  mental  and  spiritual 
stagnation,  which  leads  to  corruption  and  decay. 
Idleness  both  of  mind  and  body  exercises  a  most  bane- 
ful influence  in  any  community,  while  work,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  healthy  and  bracing.  In  this  sense, 
then,  the  Gospel  hope  is  a  great  factor  in  our  sanctifi- 
cation,  as  it  sets  the  soul  to  work,  and  so  working  for 
Christ  purifies  the  worker.  It  brings  the  mind  also 
into  holy  communion  with  God.  In  nature,  the  life 
which  had  been  hidden  and  buried  under  the  cold 
mantle  of  snow  and  frost  in  winter,  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  begins  to  revive.  We  see  the  tender  blade 
forcing  its  way  up  through  the  hard  and  crusty  soil, 
appealing  in  its  way  to  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun  for 
help  and  encouragement;  even  so  it  is  with  the  new 
principle  of  hope  in  the  heart :  it  brings  the  mind  and 
heart  to  look  Godward,  and  to  seek  life  and  strength 
in  God,  and  to  rejoice  and  delight  .in  the  light  of  His 
countenance.  The  Apostle  John  says,  in  this  Epistle, 
that  "  God  is  light, "  and  that  light  is  revealed  in  His 
Son,  "  who  is  the  effulgence  of  His  glory, "  and  focused 
in  the  cross  of  Christ.     The  cross  of  Christ,  with  the 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  155 

Apostle,  is  the  center  of  light.  In  the  Book  of  Keve- 
lation,  where  he  describes  the  glory  of  heaven  or  the 
new  Jerusalem,  he  says  her  light  is  the  Lamb.  The 
light  in  which  the  angels  and  seraphims  are  now  bask- 
ing is  the  light  of  the  Lamb.  They  delight  to  bathe 
their  sparkling  wings  in  the  glorious  rays  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness.  In  this  light  the  Christian  is  priv- 
ileged to  daily  walk  and  enjoy  communion  with  God. 
Therefore,  "  if  we  walk  in  the  light  as  He  is  in  the 
light,  we  have  fellowship  one  with  another;  and  the 
blood  of  Jesus,  His  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 
Again,  this  hope  brings  its  possessor  to  use  all  the 
means  established  by  God  for  his  sanctification. 
Who  has  any  hope  or  ambition  to  succeed  in  his  pro- 
fession that  does  not  employ  every  means  within  his 
reach  to  attain  his  object?  He  studies  the  best  text- 
books and  seeks  the  best  teachers  to  qualify  him  for 
his  profession ;  burns  the  midnight  oil  in  his  study, 
and  denies  himself  of  many  luxuries  to  gain  success. 

Is  this  hope  of  being  like  God,  of  awakening  some 
bright  day  to  find  ourselves  in  His  image — is  this,  I 
say,  the  feeblest  of  all  hopes?  Why,  then,  my  friend, 
dost  thou  neglect  the  means  to  attain  it?  Let  me 
tell  you,  if  this  hope  is  lit  within  your  heart  it  swells 
your  breast  with  ambition  and  fills  your  soul  with  holy 
zeal  to  employ  every  means  within  your  reach  to  bring 
about  its  realization.  You  are  daily  meditating  the 
Word  of  God,  and,  as  the  Psalmist,  your  delight  is  in 


166  THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE. 

tlie  law  of  the  Lord,  and  in  His  law  do  you  meditate 
day  and  night.  You  are  also  constant  in  your  attend- 
ance in  the  sanctuary,  seeking  through  all  the  minis- 
try of  the  Word,  the  public  prayer-meeting,  and  the 
assembly  of  the  saints  to  purify  yourself  even  as  God 
is  pure.  These  are  they  that  reach  the  goal,  who  are 
diligent  and  constant  in  the  employment  of  the  means 
of  grace.  These  are  they  that  conquer  at  last  and 
arrive  at  that  glorious  habitation  beyond  the  veil, 
where  there  is  no  sin  nor  sorrow,  but  joy  forever- 
more.  And  having  qualified  themselves  for  the  great 
festival  by  frequent  rehearsals,  they  join  the  band 
that  sings  before  the  throne  the  song  of  Moses  and 
the  song  of  the  Lamb.  Of  these,  one  of  the  elders  in 
heaven  inquires  of  John,  Who  are  they  and  whence 
they  came ;  and  he  replies  in  a  becoming  and  humble 
manner,  "  My  Lord,  thou  knowest " ;  then  the  elder 
answers — and  mark  his  words:  "These  are  they 
which  come  out  of  the  great  tribulation;  and  they 
washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb."  He  does  not  merely  say  that  their 
robes  were  washed  and  made  white ;  such  expressions 
may  be  found  elsewhere — as  when  Paul  reminds  the 
Corinthians  of  their  regenerate  condition ;  but  adds : 
"  Ye  were  washed,  but  ye  were  sanctified, "  etc.  And 
even  here,  the  marginal  reading  is,  "  Ye  washed  your- 
selves." And  the  elder,  in  the  same  manner,  says  of 
the  white-robed   throng  aroimd  the  throne:  "They 


THE  CHRISTIAN  HOPE.  157 

washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb."  This  throws  a  flood  of  light  on  the 
Christian's  life  on  earth.  Why  so  diligent  with  the 
means  of  grace?  Why  so  constant  in  his  attendance 
on  all  religious  meetings?  Why  such  zest  in  the  read- 
ing of  the  Word,  and  fervor  in  prayer?  The  answer 
is:  By  these  means  he  washes  his  robes  and  makes 
them  white;  they  are  washed  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  bleached  in  the  sunshine  of  His  eternal 
love.  Some  that  we  knew  and  loved  are  now 
numbered  among  that  glorious  band ;  they  have  gone ; 
but  the  means  remain.  Jesus' s  blood  has  not  lost 
its  power,  nor  the  Word  its  sanctifying  influence. 
*'  Wherefore,  beloved,  seeing  ye  look  for  these  things, 
give  diligence,  that  ye  may  be  found  in  peace  without 
spot,  and  blameless  in  His  sight." 


A   SUCCESSFUL   SUPPLICANT. 
By  Rev.  B.  Harris,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

"  Then  Jesus  went  thence,  and  departed  into  the  coasts  of 
Tyre  and  Sidon.  And  behold,  a  woman  of  Canaan  came  out 
of  the  same  coasts,  and  cried  unto  Him,  saying.  Have  mercy 
on  me,  O  Lord,  Thou  Son  of  David  ;  my  daughter  is  griev- 
ously vexed  with  a  devil,  "  etc. — Matt.  xv.  21-28. 

In  vain  do  we  search  the  Scriptures  for  a  more 
exquisite  portrait  of  a  successful  supplicant  than  the 
one  presented  to  us  in  this  paragraph ;  and  we,  living 
in  this  age,  with  its  on-rolling  current  of  conviction 
and  activity,  may  do  well  to  rest  a  while,  that  we  may 
carefully  consider  and  follow  its  teachings. 

Our  Lord,  having  been  unkindly  treated  by  His  own 
coipitrymen,  departed  from  them,  and  went  into  the 
borders  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  He  went  thither  not  for 
the  purpose  of  preaching  or  healing,  for  the  time  had 
not  yet  come,  but  for  retirement.  While  Christ  was 
a  great  worker.  He  never  so  far  forgot  Himself  as 
to  neglect  the  laws  of  health.  Whenever  He  de- 
tected signs  of  exhaustion  in  His  disciples.  He  would 
say:  "Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert  place 
and  rest  a  while. "     All  toilers  need  "  repair  "  from  the 

158 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  159 

friction  of  work  and  contact,  and  they  are  thus  enabled 
to  pursue  their  appointed  work  with  renewed  vigor 
and  energy.  Christ,  however,  is  not  permitted  to  rest 
free  from  interruption.  ^lark  tells  us  that  "  He  could 
not  be  hid. "  We  are  not  surprised  at  this.  His  fame 
had  preceded  Him.  The  sun  can  not  rise  without 
being  perceived.  The  fragrance  of  the  Kose  of  Sharon 
betrayed  its  presence,  and  it  was  soon  known  that 
"  He  was  in  the  land."  There  was  one  who  hailed  the 
news  of  Christ's  presence  with  delight,  for  the  dark 
cloud  of  affliction  hung  heavily  over  her  household. 
Her  "  daughter  was  grievously  vexed  with  a  devil." 
The  needy  are  ever  quick  to  hear  and  to  seek  those 
who  can  succor  them.  The  great  Syrian  general  who 
was  a  leper  clutched  at  a  straw  of  intelligence  con- 
veyed to  him  by  an  insignificant  captive  maid,  and 
went  to  seek  the  prophet.  This  mother,  we  may  be 
sure,  had  tried  all  known  remedies.  The  most  skil- 
ful physicians  had  experimented.  Baal  and  Ashtaroth 
had  been  entreated.  But  all  was  futile.  Jesus  Christ 
was  at  hand.  The  woman  had  heard  of  His  wonder- 
ful works  (Mark  iii.  8),  and  had  waited  patiently, 
longingly,  and  wistfully  for  His  coming.  Blessed  be 
God,  W9  need  not  grieve  to-day  over  an  absent  Christ, 
and  say  with  Martha :  "  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been 
here,  my  brother  had  not  died."  The  Divine  Para- 
clete is  ever  near  to  hear  our  cry  of  distress.  He 
went  away  in  order  to  come  and  abide  with  us.     "  And 


160  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  tlie  end  of  the 
world." 

The  woman  was  of  Canaan — a  Syrophenician  by 
race.  While  piety  does  not  run  in  the  blood,  and 
while  grace  is  not  hereditary,  it  is  still  a  priceless 
boon  to  be  able  to  claim  a  noble  ancestry.  This 
woman,  however,  was  deprived  of  such  a  legacy ;  she 
was  not  even  the  "  tapering  apex  "  of  reputable  ances- 
tors. She  belonged  to  a  degraded  and  accursed  race, 
was  "  an  alien  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, "  a 
Greek,  a  heathen,  and  an  idolater.  Out  of  this  nation 
had  come  Ethbaal,  Jezebel,  and  a  host  of  others  who 
had  troubled  Israel.  God,  however,  is  able  to  save  to 
the  uttermost;  and  the  story  of  this  heathen  woman 
teaches  us  that  the  descendants  of  the  most  corrupt 
nations  can  be  Christianized.  *'  And  such  were  some  of 
you ;  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye 
are  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  by  the 
spirit  of  our  God"  (1  Cor.  vi.  11).  There  are  thou- 
sands to-day  in  the  most  benighted  nations  of  the 
world,  glorifying  in  the  cross  of  Christ  and  singing 
the  triumphs  of  redeeming  grace. 

Having  heard  the  news,  the  woman  was  aroused  to 
action.  She  did  not  send  to  Christ.  Who  could  take 
her  place?  Who  could  feel  as  she  felt  for  her  daugh- 
ter? So  laying  aside  her  prejudices,  together  with 
the  conventionalities  of  society,  she  went  uninvited 
and  unbidden  to  the  Son  of  God,  the  Son  of  Man,  the 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  161 

Brother  born  for  adversity.  In  her  conduct  she  has 
immortalized  her  name.  Verily,  she  was  one  of  those 
mothers  who  have  taught  the  world  how  to  pray. 
She  comes  to  us,  and  will  go  down  to  succeeding  gen- 
erations, as  one  of  those  mighty  wrestlers  with  God 
who  by  faith  won  the  victory. 

In  order  to  impress  your  minds  more  vividly  with 
the  heroism  of  this  successful  supplicant,  I  shall 
notice:  I.  The  trials  of  her  faith;  and,  II.,  The  tri- 
umphs of  her  faith. 

I.  Consider  the  Trials  of  her  Faith.  There  are 
three  recorded  in  the  narrative : 

1.  The  conduct  of  Christ.  "He  answered  her  not 
a  word."  In  all  the  history  of  Christ's  ministry  we 
meet  with  nothing  like  this.  He  whose  generosity 
was  unbounded,  whose  eyes  would  fill  with  tears  at 
the  sight  of  human  wo,  and  whose  great  heart  would 
always  beat  in  sympathy  with  the  sorrowful,  is  silent. 
The  lame,  the  halt,  and  the  blind  were  brought  to 
Him.  He  healed  them.  One  said,  "  If  Thou  wilt. 
Thou  canst  make  me  clean" ;  immediately  the  answer 
is  given:  "  I  will.  Be  thou  clean."  When  He  went 
to  Jerusalem,  where  He  was  to  drink  of  the  bitter 
cup.  He  paused  to  send  a  thrill  of  joy  into  the  beg- 
gar's heart  by  restoring  his  sight.  It  was  Christ's 
readiness  to  relieve  the  afflicted  that  made  the  multi- 
tudes in  Galilee  follow  Him  with  a  wild  enthusiasm 
rarely  paralleled.  But  here  His  lips  are  locked  in 
U 


162  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

silence.  The  Word  has  no  word  for  the  grief- stricken 
mother;  it  is  just  as  tho  the  sun,  after  mounting 
its  meridian,  should  withhold  its  exhilarating  beams. 
He  who  came  *'  to  heal  the  broken  in  heart "  is  for 
once  silent. 

There  is  a  silence  that  is  inestimably  precious, 
and  yet  excruciatingly  painful.  How  precious,  for  in- 
stance, is  the  silence  of  sympathy !  It  is  much  more 
successful  in  soothing  the  sorrowful  than  the  sublimest 
speech.  The  silent  tear,  the  warm  hand-grasp  have 
sent  rays  of  sunshine  into  many  dreary  and  despond- 
ent hearts.  There  is  also  a  silence  which  is  distress- 
ingly painful.  We  have  felt  it  when  in  the  sick- 
chamber  where  a  loved  one  lay  nigh  unto  death. 
How  we  waited  for  the  doctor's  decision !  The  silence 
of  Christ  was  a  severe  trial  to  the  woman.  David 
dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  the  silence  of  God.  "  O 
Lord,  my  Rock, "  he  cries,  "  be  not  silent  to  me,  lest 
if  Thou  be  silent  to  me  I  become  like  them  that  go 
down  into  the  pit. " 

Why  was  Christ  silent?  Let  us  not  be  hasty  in 
censuring  His  conduct;  for,  while  we  may  pity,  yet 
ours  is  infinitesimally  small  when  compared  with  His. 
Was  He  in  a  state  of  perplexity  as  to  the  proper  way 
to  proceed?  In  His  charge  to  the  disciples  a  few 
days  previous.  He  had  said :  "  Go  not  into  the  way  of 
the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritan  enter 
ye  not;  but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  163 

Israel. "  He  is  now  petitioned  to  act  contrary  to  His 
own  directions,  and  to  pass  beyond  the  region  of  His 
own  appointed  work.  While  this  is  plausible,  still, 
we  prefer  adhering  to  the  old  view,  that  He  was  silent 
so  as  to  test  her  faith,  and  that  not  only  for  her  own 
sake,  but  for  ours  also.  This,  we  believe,  fully  ac- 
counts for  this  phenomenon  in  the  life  of  Christ. 

He  "  who  knew  what  was  in  man  "  saw  that  the 
woman  who  stood  before  Him  was  rich  in  moral  poten- 
tiality. There  are  some  plants  so  fragile  that  the 
slightest  touch  mars  or  destroys  them.  But  not  so  in 
this  case;  hence  Christ  provokes  a  contest,  that  she 
might  exercise  those  stalwart  virtues  that  lay  hidden 
in  her  nature  and  display  before  the  world  the  magni- 
ficent triumph  of  her  daimtless  faith. 

We  should  never  attribute  God's  delays  to  indiffer- 
ence. He  always  attends  to  our  petition.  He  reads 
deep  meaning  in  the  tear,  and  hears  heavenly  music  in 
the  broken  sighs  of  those  that  seek  Him.  When  we 
go  to  Him  for  help.  He  takes  the  educative  processes 
into  His  own  hands.  In  His  seeming  delays  His  pur- 
pose is  not  to  injure,  but  to  advance  us ;  not  to  dis- 
courage, but  to  stimulate  us  to  greater  efforts.  Christ 
uses  the  press  of  silence  to  crush  out  the  sweet  juice 
of  prayer  from  this  Sidonian'  s  heart. 

Not  a  word.  Still  she  prays  on.  That  which 
frightened  the  faint-hearted  acts  as  a  challenge  to 
the  courageous.     Instead  of  being  discouraged  by  the 


164  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

Lord's  silence  she  prayed  on,  "  Have  mercy  on  me,  O 
Lord." 

2.  The  demeanor  of  the  disciples.  "  Send  her 
away,  for  she  crieth  after  us."  They  knew  that 
Christ  could  cure  the  child,  and  no  doubt  besought 
Him  to  do  so ;  but  the  motive  was  unqualifiedly  seK- 
ish.  They  were  self -centered  and  had  not  yet  learned 
"that  man's  finest  accomplishment  is  unselfishness." 
They  were  more  embarrassed  by  the  woman's  cries 
than  by  the  grief  that  was  consuming  her  life.  No 
electric  touch  of  sympathy  reached  her  from  them. 
What  icy  coldness!  We  feel  that  there  was  more 
severity  in  their  words  than  in  their  Master's  silence. 
The  woman  is  like  a  ship  flying  signals  of  distress  to 
the  vessels  in  view  and  receiving  no  response. 

Eest  assured  that  neither  of  these  men  had,  like 
this  mother,  watched  for  many  weary  days  and  nights 
the  paroxysms  of  a  child  dearer  than  life  itself.  One 
of  the  delicious  fruits  of  affliction  is  the  ability  it  gives 
us  to  sympathize  with  our  fellow  men ;  it  develops 
within  us  a  fellow  feeling  and  makes  us  "  sons  of  con- 
solation "  to  the  suffering.  Afflictions  make  human 
sympathy  more  desirable  than  the  angelic.  The  sym- 
pathy of  the  "  Man  of  Sorrows  "  is  unspeakably  pre- 
cious to  us  because  it  can  be  said  of  Him :  "  For  in 
that  He  Himself  hath  suffered  being  tempted.  He  is 
able  to  succor  them  that  are  tempted." 

Do  we  denounce  the  demeanor  of  the  disciples? 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  165 

Aye,  but  wait.  How  many  of  us  can  answer  "  Not 
guilty"  to  the  indictment  of  coldness  to  the  "Lord's 
poor  "  ?  Many  a  wounded  traveler  is  left  bleeding  on 
the  highway  of  life  because  we  are  not  disposed  to 
part  with  our  oil  and  twopence.  No  gleanings  of 
gladness,  no  sheaves  of  solace  are  given  them ;  rather 
we  are  pained  by  their  presence  and  provoked  by  their 
persistency.  "  She  crieth  after  us."  While  there  is 
much  selfishness  in  the  world,  we  have  cause  to  thank 
God  that  the  angel  form  of  that  love  which  is  kind 
and  easy  to  be  entreated  is  still  abroad  in  the  world, 
scattering  sunshine  into  the  hearts  and  homes  of  the 
hapless. 

The  demeanor  of  the  disciples,  however,  failed  to 
discourage  the  Syrophenician.  A  weaker  faith  than 
hers  would  have  been  frozen  by  the  chilling  coldness 
of  their  conduct;  but  she  had  come  to  stay,  she  would 
not  leave  them.     What  importunacy  and  pertinacity ! 

When  our  souls  get  into  such  an  attitude  before 
God  for  our  children,  something  is  going  to  happen. 
God  will  give  us  any  good  thing  when  we  want  it  bad 
enough  to  ask  for  it  in  the  right  way ;  but  we  look  in 
vain  for  a  promise  for  those  who  are  not  in  earnest. 
Rushing  past  the  disciples,  the  woman  cast  herself 
prostrate  at  the  feet  of  Christ,  crying,  "Lord,  help 
me." 

3.  The  contention  of  Christ.  "  It  is  not  meet  to 
take  the  children's  bread  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs." 


166  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

Before  uttering  these  words  our  Lord  had  turned  to 
the  disciples  and  had  said  in  reply  to  their  request, 
"  I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel."  These  words  sufficed  in  silencing  the  dis- 
ciples, for  we  do  not  hear  them  speak  afterward. 
Whether  the  woman  heard  the  words  we  know  not. 
If  she  did,  they  utterly  failed  to  quiet  her.  Jacob- 
like, she  perseveres.  "  I  will  not  let  Thee  go,  0  Thou 
Savior  of  the  sorrowful,"  is  her  cry.  "Lord,  help 
me." 

"  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children' s  bread  and  to 
cast  it  to  dogs."  Are  these  the  words  of  the  divine 
Benefactor  who  came  "  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to 
them  that  are  weary  "  ?  Oh,  how  the  words  must  have 
pierced  the  already  aching  heart !  The  darkness  deep- 
ened. No,  she  was  not  a  child;  she  was  an  alien. 
Martin  Luther  confesses,  "  If  He  had  said  this  to  me, 
I  would  have  run  away."  But  not  so  this  heroic  soul; 
she  hoped  on,  prayed  on. 

The  words  were  cold  and  hard,  yes.  But  all  de- 
pends upon  the  manner  in  which  they  were  spoken. 
Faith  is  so  sensitive  and  quicksighted  that  nothing 
can  possibly  evade  its  vision.  Was  there  tenderness 
in  His  eyes,  mellowness  in  His  voice,  a  smile  playing 
upon  His  lips  that  bespoke  encouragement?  Adolph 
Saphir  pertly  remarks,  "  If  He  said  no.  He  looked 
yes."  Or  did  she  see  a  ray  of  comfort  in  the  word 
"  dogs " ;    the  little   dogs,  not    those  that  ran  wild 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  167 

through  the  streets,  but  the  pets  that  were  kept  in 
the  house,  and  interpret  it  as  a  sign  of  hope.  Even 
this  trial  did  not  prevail  over  her.  She  felt  she 
must  succeed. 

*'  Truth,  Lord ;  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  which 
fall  from  their  master's  table."  Sublime  answer,  un- 
excelled in  all  the  annals  of  prayer.  Noble  suppli- 
cant, thou  shall  yet  succeed.  Thou  hast  not  only 
braved  the  disciples'  coldness,  wearied  Christ' s  silence ; 
thou  shalt  yet  confound  His  denial.  One  would  think 
that  the  epithet,  however  softened  it  might  have  been, 
would  have  embittered  her  against  Christ.  But  no, 
she  was  satisfied  to  acquiesce  to  everything,  if  she 
could  but  prevail  upon  Him  to  heal  her  little  daugh- 
ter. She  devoured  all  discouragements.  Self  was 
surrendered;  she  was  in  the  dust.  "Truth,  Lord; 
yet  the  little  dogs  receive  the  crumbs.  I  confess  I  am 
no  better  than  a  dog,  but  may  I  not  have  the  portion 
of  a  dog?"  Her  argument  was  incontrovertible,  her 
logic  irrefutable.  Marvelously  indeed  does  the  great 
Gardener  unfold  to  our  gaze  the  petals  of  this  beauti- 
ful flower. 

"  The  heavier  cross,  the  heartier  prayer ; 
The  bruised  flowers,  most  fragrant  are.  " 

With  palpitating  heart  the    mother  waited;    in   the 
depths  of  her  soul  she  listened. 

Are  our  prayers  characterized  by   such  profound 


168  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

humility,  fervency,  and  indomitable  perseverance,  or 
are  they  merely  formal  mockeries,  filled  with  vain 
repetitions,  with  no  expectation  of  an  answer?  Pray- 
ers like  the  one  offered  by  the  woman  of  Canaan  would 
soon  change  the  spiritual  atmosphere  of  our  social 
gatherings,  fill  up  our  churches,  and  thaw  the  icebergs 
of  unbelief.     "Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray," 

II.  Consider  the  Triumphs  of  Her  Faith.  It  is : 
1.  A  commendable  triumph.  0  woman,  great  is 
thy  faith.  What  prominence  and  dignity  Christ 
gives  to  the  woman's  faith!  How  He  fastens  His 
admiration  upon  it!  We  would  say:  great  is  thy 
love,  humility,  persistency;  but  He  saw  the  fountain 
and  life  of  all  in  her  great  faith.  This  was  the  foun- 
dation, the  substo,  upon  which  those  beautiful  vir- 
tues rested,  in  which  they  were  rooted.  It  was  her 
faith,  prompted  by  the  Christ  invisible,  that  taught 
her  tosay  the  proper  names,  "  Son  of  David,"  "  Lord  " 
— names  referring  both  to  His  humanity  and  divinity. 
Christ  calls  it  a  great  faith ;  it  was  a  faith  which  the 
noise  of  all  heaven's  thunders  and  the  shock  of  a  thou- 
sand earthquakes  could  not  silence.  The  triumphs  of 
faith  are  written  as  with  sunbeams  upon  the  pages  of 
history.  By  faith  Moses  "endured  as  seeing  Him 
who  is  invisible. "  By  faith  the  timid  woman  touched 
"the  hem  of  His  garment."  By  faith  Paul  promised 
that  all  who  stayed  in  the  ship  should  be  saved.  By 
faith  Luther  burnt  the  pope's  bull.     By  faith  Abra- 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  169 

ham  Lincoln,  when  the  wires  quivered  with  the  news 
of  defeat,  calmly  said:  "Well,  it  sets  us  back  a 
good  deal,  but  we  shall  do  better  by  and  by;  we  must 
keep  pegging  away."  "  All  things  are  possible  to  him 
that  believeth."  0  this  God-given,  heaven-quiver- 
ing faith!  It  touches  the  very  heart  of  Christ,  wins 
His  commendation,  and  brings  the  blessing. 

"Lord,  give  us  such  a  faith  as  this. 
And  then  whate'er  may  come, 
We'll  taste  e'en  here  the  hallowed  bliss 
Of  an  eternal  home.  " 

2.  A  complete  triumph.  "  Be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt."  There  is  nothing  partial  about  the  an- 
swer. Jacob  gained  a  glorious  victory  at  Peniel ;  but 
it  was  only  partial,  for  we  find  the  angel  declining  to 
give  the  wrestler  his  name.  But  this  comprehends 
all.  The  woman  craved  the  crumbs,  when,  lo,  she 
was  told,  "  Be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt. "  It 
is  one  of  Christ's  sweet  mannerisms  to  grant  large 
answers  to  great  faith,  to  surpass  our  brightest  expec- 
tations, and  to  do  infinitely  better  than  all  others. 
The  returned  prodigal  seeks  the  station  of  a  slave, 
but  receives  reinstatement  in  the  family.  The  dying 
thief  only  prays  to  be  remembered,  but  "  to-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise."  Truly  the  apostle 
says,  "He  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above 
all  that  we  can  ask  or  think. " 


170  A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

But  who  is  this  who  speaks  with  such  amazing 
authority,  that  possesses  such  omnific  power  ?  Where- 
in lies  his  energy  and  strength?  We  read  that  Sam- 
son's strength  was  in  his  locks ;  it  is  said  that  Csesar's 
was  in  the  food  he  ate.  The  Person  who  speaks  here 
is  none  other  than  "  God  manifested  in  the  flesh, "  the 
great  "Wonder"  of  the  ages;  the  Lord  of  all  the 
eternal  Word,  in  whom  the  glory  of  heaven  and  the 
virtue  of  earth  unite ;  the  One  who  made  Arcturus, 
Orion,  Pleiades,  and  the  chambers  of  the  South ;  who 
painted  the  rainbow  and  penciled  the  rose.  A  few 
days  before  the  maddened  fury  of  the  storm  bowed 
and  retired  at  His  word ;  and  now  in  answer  to  prayer 
He  stills  the  madder  strife  in  the  Canaanite's  daugh- 
ter. Blessed  be  God,  our  Savior  possesses  all  power, 
and  is  the  Source  of  all  power. 

3  •  A  consoling  triumph.  "  Her  daughter  was  healed 
in  that  hour."  The  woman's  great  faith  had  glad- 
dened Christ's  heart,  and  now  He  cheers  her  heart 
by  giving  her  the  realization  of  her  desire.  We  are 
not  told  that  she  went  away  rejoicing,  but  we  may  be 
confident  that  there  was  laughter  in  her  soul  as  she 
returned  with  elastic  step  to  her  home.  Her  appetite 
was  keen,  and  the  food  given  her  was  delicious  to 
the  taste.  With  the  Phillipian  eunuch  she  goes  on 
her  way  rejoicing,  singing,  perhaps,  something  like : 
"  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul ;  and  all  that  is  within 
me,  bless  His  holy  name." 


A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT.  171 

Do  not  despise  afflictions,  if  they  have  succeeded  in 
sending  you  to  the  Savior.  It  was  when  Jacob's 
head  lay  on  a  *'  pillow  of  stones  "  that  he  had  a  vision 
which  cheered  him  more  or  less  all  through  life's 
pilgrimage.  When  in  the  prison  of  affliction,  "  Ma- 
nasseh  knew  that  the  Lord  he  was  God."  Affliction 
brought  the  woman  of  Canaan  to  Christ,  and  now  she 
returns  to  her  home,  richer,  happier,  and  nobler  for 
having  come  into  contact  with  the  Savior  of  the 
world. 

Beloved,  where  do  we  stand  as  we  look  upon  this 
picture  of  faith?  How  this  woman  makes  us  feel 
ashamed  of  ourselves.  Faith  is  indeed  rare.  A  re- 
ligious profession  is  common.  Religion  is  popular — 
we  embrace  it;  the  church  is  fashionable — we  join  it. 
A  disgust  for  all  shams  and  trickery  is  common.  A 
desire  to  walk  circumspectly  is  common.  But  faith : 
"  Will  the  Son  of  Man  when  He  comes  find  faith  on 
the  earth?"  "Lord,  increase  our  faith."  "Lord,  I 
believe ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief. " 

Let  the  history  of  this  successful  supplicant  encour- 
age you.  You  may  have  loved  ones,  who  are  demon- 
ized  under  the  magnetism  of  the  evil  one.  Take 
them  to  God  in  prayer.  He  alone  can  break  the  spell. 
When  He  sees  you  in  earnest.  He  will  surprise  you 
even  as  He  surprised  the  praying  people  in  the  house 
of  Mary,  when  Peter  knocked  at  the  door.  God  has 
promised  that  you  shall  not  seek  His  face  in  vain; 


172      A  SUCCESSFUL  SUPPLICANT. 

and  He  can  not  lie.  Esther  was  not  sure  of  the  king's 
favor,  yet  she  went  into  the  royal  presence.  The 
heathen  sailors  could  only  say  to  Jonah :  "  Call  on  thy 
God,  if  so  be  that  God  will  think  on  us."  But  we 
have  the  sure  word  of  Him  who  is  "  Amen,  Faithful, 
and  True. "  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  be- 
lieving, ye  shall  receive. "  "  And  this  is  the  confidence 
that  we  have  in  Him,  that,  if  we  ask  anything  ac- 
cording to  His  will,  He  heareth  us." 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

By  Rev.  John    H.   Harris,   D.D.,   LL.D,,   Lewis- 
burg,   Pa. 

"  Ye  are  my  friends,  says  Christ,  if  ye  do  the  things  which 
I  command  you.  We  are  not  to  obey  in  order  that  we  may 
become  friends.  Through  grace,  we  are  made  friends ; 
through  love  we  serve.  This  is  the  twofold  principle  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God."— /o/i/i  xv.  14. 

I,  Christianity  is,  on  one  side,  a  progressive  real- 
ization of  freedom.  This  is  the  core  of  world  his- 
tory. Thus  Hegel  says  that  the  Oriental  knew  that 
one  man  was  free,  namely,  the  despot ;  that  the  Greeks 
knew  that  some  men  were  free,  namely,  the  Greeks, 
and  all  the  rest  were  by  nature  slaves ;  but  Christi- 
anity regards  all  as  free,  and  it  is  its  aim  to  develop 
this  consciousness  of  personality.  The  substance  of 
world  history,  then,  is  a  growth  in  liberty.  The  same 
is  true  for  the  individual.  With  him,  history  con- 
sists in  the  realization  of  his  freedom.  Redemption 
through  Christ  is  a  redemption  into  the  free  life  of 
personality  in  God. 

The  emancipation  of  the  world  begins  with  the 
emancipation  of  the  individual,  and  the  emancipation 
of  the  individual  begins  in  the  core  of  his  nature,  by 

173 


174  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

the  changing  of  his  will,  a  change  not  organic,  but 
functional.  Behold,  says  Christ,  I  am  making  all 
things  new.  This  sounds  like  revolution,  but  Christ 
is  not  a  revolutionist.  He  is  a  regenerator.  The  soul 
of  each  man  must  be  renewed.  Image  of  God  tho 
he  be,  yet  he  needs  renewal  because  his  will  is  per- 
verted, his  life  estranged  from  the  life  of  God. 

Now  freedom  is  possible  because  God  is  personal. 
God  as  personal,  as  having  power  over  Himself,  can 
give  a  derived  reality  to  His  creation.  To  man  He 
gives  the  highest  derived  reality,  that  of  freedom. 
So  we  read  concerning  Him  who  is  both  the  type  and 
goal  of  humanity,  He  was  in  the  beginning,  that  He 
was  over  against  God,  and  that  He  was  God.  While 
He  was  with  God  in  inseparable  nearness.  He  was 
over  against  God  in  His  distinct  reality  and  other- 
ness. So  when  the  Word  became  flesh.  He  was  still 
over  against  God,  a  reality,  not  a  mode  or  idea.  The 
Word  made  flesh  has  the  highest  reality  that  this 
world  has  seen.  But  each  man  as  personal  and  free, 
has  reality.  So  great  is  the  reality  given  man,  so 
far  is  he  over  against  God,  that  he  may  abjure  his 
real  freedom,  and  become  a  slave ;  that  he  may  turn 
from  the  center  of  his  life  and  become  estranged  from 
his  own  home,  from  God,  who  is  the  home  of  the 
soul.  Man  may  become  a  slave,  but  not  a  slave  of 
God.  For  God  having  made  man  free,  does  not  let 
him  become  less  than  free  in  His  service.     Not  only  is 


FREEDOM  AND   OBEDIENCE.  175 

it  possible  for  man  to  cast  away  his  freedom  in  God  and 
become  a  slave,  but  as  matter  of  fact  this  is  the  con- 
dition of  man,  whatever  may  be  the  cause  of  it.  Man 
is  only  potentially  free;  potentially  so  only  because 
God  is  personal  and  wills  that  man  may  become  free. 
God  is  thus  the  sphere  of  freedom,  and  that  man 
may  realize  freedom,  he  must  be  brought  into  per- 
sonal relation  with  God.  Until  he  knows  himself 
cleansed  and  forgiven,  he  will  not,  however,  draw 
near  to  God,  who  is  a  consuming  fire.  Man  will  not 
approach  a  consuming  fire ;  he  will  forever  be  in  fear 
of  it,  and  fear  is  bondage.  The  slave  is  a  slave  be- 
cause his  life  is  passed  in  fear.  The  first  step  in 
emancipation,  then,  is  the  removal  of  fear  by  remov- 
ing its  cause.  The  word  that  comes  to  the  trembling 
bondman  is  not  that  God  is  love,  and  therefore  he 
need  not  fear;  but  the  word  is,  that  he  may  repent 
and  be  forgiven,  and  be  renewed  and  transformed  into 
the  likeness  of  God,  and  be  lifted  up  out  of  the  sphere 
of  fear  and  hate  into  the  sphere  of  faith  and  love.  It 
is  thus  that  he  is  brought  into  relation  to  the  center 
of  personality,  and  gains  strength  for  free  activity. 
A  man  of  strong  personality,  of  vigorous  thought, 
calls  forth  the  energies  of  other  men.  The  soul  seems 
to  dilate  in  the  presence  of  an  inspiring  personality. 
All  iu  it  that  is  best  blossoms  forth,  as  in  the  sun- 
light. Personality  illumines,  enkindles,  invigorates. 
Herein  is  a  parable  of  the  relation  of  the  personal 


176  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

Creator  to  the  created  personality.  If  God  were  only 
blind  force,  then  He,  or  rather  it,  would  bear  man  and 
all  things  endlessly  onward,  and  man  would  be  none 
the  better  morally  for  the  movement.  But  God  is 
mind,  affection,  will,  and  man  both  moves  and  is 
moved  toward  a  goal,  and  with  each  step  forward  he 
gathers  moral  strength,  because  it  is  his  step;  he  in- 
creases in  light,  because  he  sees  where  he  is  going.  I 
call  you  not  bondmen,  says  Christ;  for  the  bondman 
knows  not  what  his  lord  is  doing;  but  I  have  called 
you  friends,  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of  My 
Father,  I  have  made  known  unto  you.  This  is  the 
life  of  freedom  for  which  man  was  made,  but  which 
even  the  best  has  but  imperfectly  attained.  Now 
moral  freedom  embraces  the  whole  person.  The  free- 
man must  have  an  enfranchized  mind  that  he  may 
see ;  he  must  have  emancipated  affections  and  will  that 
he  may  freely  choose  and  do. 

Christ  sets  the  intellect  free.  Every  Christian  be- 
comes a  free  thinker.  All  things  which  I  heard  from 
My  Father,  says  Christ,  I  made  known  unto  you. 
He  treats  His  followers  as  friends  and  partners  who 
are  entitled  to  know  why.  He  gives  them  insight 
into  the  fundamental  idea  of  His  life,  into  the  law  of 
His  Kingdom,  and  into  the  purpose  of  His  death.  So 
a  real  Christian  education  is  an  education  into  in- 
sight. It  calls  everything  before  the  baj  of  reason 
and  makes  it  give  an  account  of  itself.     It  develops 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE.  177 

thinking.  The  education  of  despotism,  on  the  other 
hand,  stifles  thought.  It  may  develop  memory,  taste, 
and  imagination,  but  it  must  keep  the  judgment  in 
abeyance.  Such  is  the  education  of  the  Jesuits,  and 
the  Chinese,  the  Jesuits  of  thQ  East.  The  Jesuits, 
says  Macaulay,  seem  to  have  found  the  poiut  up  to 
which  intellectual  culture  can  be  pushed  without  reach- 
ing intellectual  emancipation.  The  tendency  of  this 
education  is  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  human  mind 
and  make  everything  statical.  This  tendency  is  not 
peculiar  to  the  Chinese  and  Jesuits,  but  it  is  an  es- 
sential characteristic  of  all  despotism,  whether  civil 
or  ecclesiastical.  Such  education  makes  a  man  a  mere 
tool.  "  One  must  allow  himself, "  to  quote  again  from 
the  Jesuits,  "to  be  governed  by  divine  Providence 
acting  through  the  agency  of  the  superiors  of  the 
order,  just  as  if  he  were  a  dead  body  that  could  be 
put  into  any  position  whatever  and  treated  accord- 
ing to  one's  good  pleasure;  or  as  if  one  were  a  baton 
in  the  hands  of  an  old  man  who  uses  it  as  he  pleases." 
The  same  antichristiau  principle  finds  expression  in 
the  wish  for  farm  hands  who  are  not  educated  into 
thinking,  but  who  will  labor  mechanically  uncom- 
plainingly from  four  ia  the  morning  until  darkness 
sets  in.  The  desire  for  workmen  who  are  mere  ma- 
chines; for  followers  who  will  blindly  accept  the 
leader's  guidance;  for  a  society  wherein  each  man 
will  contentedly  remain  in  the  lot  in  which  he  was 
13 


178  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

born ;  for  "worshipers  who  will  repeat  a  creed  and  ac- 
cept the  pleasures  of  taste  as  the  whole  of  religion, — 
this  desire  is  directly  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Christ, 
which  is  an  enfranchizing  spirit,  a  spirit  that  leads  out 
into  light  and  liberty.  But  Christianity  is  a  religion 
of  a  book,  and  it  is  claimed  that  intellect  is  thereby 
cramped  and  enthralled.  This  would  be  the  case  if 
its  book  were  a  military  order-book,  or  if  it  were  a 
book  of  religious  etiquette.  The  Bible,  however,  is 
a  revelation,  as  the  world  is  a  revelation,  and  as  the 
course  of  history  is  a  revelation,  and  like  them  must 
be  interpreted  by  the  free  spirit  of  man.  Each  man, 
by  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  is  made  responsible  to 
God,  and  to  Him  alone,  for  his  religious  beliefs,  and 
therefore  each  man  must  think  out  his  own  interpre- 
tation, must  construct  his  own  theology;  must  not 
only  think,  but  work  out  and  live  his  own  creed,  with 
such  light  as  he  may  gain  from  the  course  of  the 
world,  the  course  of  history,  and  the  written  Word. 
None  of  these  is  a  fetter  to  the  spirit,  but  is  material 
to  be  wrought  into  form  by  each  spirit.  Each  man, 
in  fact,  must  make  his  own  Bible  from  the  biblical 
material  furnished  him. 

Nor  can  any  power,  civil  or  ecclesiastical,  bind  by 
mere  authority  those  who  have  been  made  friends 
of  Christ.  The  philosopher  may  rightfully  form  his 
own  conceptions  of  the  nature  and  ways  of  God,  and 
connect  part  with  part  in  a  systematic  whole,  but  he 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE.  179 

may  not  rightfully  impose  his  system  as  a  finality 
either  upon  his  own  mind  or  upon  that  of  others. 
The  ecclesiastical  council  may  rightfully  make  an 
exact  and  logical  statement  of  their  interpretation  of 
the  revealed  Word,  and  it  will  have  its  value  in  many 
ways.  But  life  is  larger  than  any  formula,  and  while 
the  formulated  statement  is  fixed,  life  is  movement 
and  progress,  and  so  can  not  be  fettered  by  a  form. 
Every  stated  creed  becomes  history  before  the  council 
which  framed  it  adjourns,  if  it  were  not  so  before  the 
council  assembled.  To  make  systematic,  stereotyped 
formulae  binding  on  men's  minds  and  lives  by  mere 
authority,  is  to  change  the  free  revelation  of  God  into 
a  military  order-book. 

Christianity  is  an  emancipation  in  the  sphere  of 
the  active  powers  of  the  soul.  The  bondman  serving 
through  fear,  and  whose  work  is  therefore  labor,  is 
lifted  up  by  Christ  into  the  sphere  of  love,  and  his 
service  becomes  free.  The  curse  of  sin  was  that  it 
made  work  toil.  In  the  sweat  of  his  face  man  was 
to  eat  bread  till  his  emancipation  came.  Through 
the  freedom  of  love  work  is  no  longer  toil,  but  de- 
light, and  life  no  longer  a  drudgery,  but  a  vocation. 
The  friends  of  Christ,  to  be  sure,  work,  as  He  worked, 
and  as  the  infinite  Father  works;  but  they  do  not 
work  against  the  grain,  or  from  constraint ;  they  work 
from  love,  and  so  as  freemen.  The  spiritual  bond- 
man has  fear;  he  thinks  that  his  master  is  austere. 


180  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

It  is  fear  that  keeps  him  in  bondage.  Christ  sets 
men  free  by  revealing  the  nature  of  Grod.  God  is 
love.  Yet  that  alone  will  not  free  the  soul.  Men 
know  that  God  is  just.  The  soul  instinctively  feels 
that  if  it  sins,  it  must  die.  The  terror  of  that  sen- 
tence can  not  be  removed  by  smooth  prophesyings. 
Christ  does  not  deliver  men  by  using  anodynes.  He 
frees  from  the  bondage  of  fear  by  abolishing  the  en- 
mity of  the  human  heart.  The  man  thus  becomes  at 
one  with  God.  He  receives  not  the  spirit  of  bon- 
dage, but  the  spirit  of  sonship.  The  perfect  love 
casts  out  servile  fear.  Emancipation  of  the  affec- 
tions, the  casting  out  of  fear,  is  necessary  even  to 
mental  freedom.  As  long  as  the  soul  is  in  servile 
fear,  it  can  not  see  distinctly.  All  objects  appear  dis- 
colored by  the  medium ;  they  are  distorted  by  the  tor- 
ment which  servile  fear  always  has.  Even  in  the 
study  of  nature,  the  fear  arising  from  the  conscious- 
ness of  not  being  in  harmony  with  the  Author  of 
nature  will  hinder  the  mind  from  thinking  out  its 
problems  clearly  and  to  the  finish.  Many  of  the  dis- 
torted philosophies  concerning  the  world  are  caused 
by  the  unconscious  warping  of  the  soul  by  a  sense  of 
guilt.  It  is  eternally  true  that  those  who  do  not 
choose  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge  are  given 
over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  not  merely  to  do  the  things 
which  are  not  becoming,  but  also  to  think  and  be- 
lieve the  things  which  are  not  true. 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE.  181 

But  not  thought,  not  affection,  is  the  center  of 
man's  nature;  it  is  will  that  is  fundamental  in  him. 
Will  is  character.  For  character  is  the  form  which 
the  will  assumes  from  the  totality  of  its  acts.  Man 
is  not  at  all  passive,  he  is  essentially  active.  It  is 
the  merit  of  recent  philosophy  that  it  has  by  inde- 
pendent thinking  reached  the  standpoint  revealed  in 
Christianity.  Even  perception,  the  seeing  of  the 
landscape  before  the  eye,  is  a  creative  act.  Seeing 
is  a  construction.  The  listener  makes  the  music 
which  he  hears.  Much  more  in  what  we  call  the 
higher  activities,  man  is  volitional,  creative.  In  his 
forming  of  the  earth  into  a  home;  in  the  construc- 
tion of  society ;  in  the  rearing  of  the  complex  fabric 
which  we  call  civilization;  in  the  forming  of  his  own 
character,  man  is  creator.  But  he  is  not  an  inde- 
pendent creator.  It  is  God  who  gives  a  derived  ab- 
soluteness. Man  can  not  exercise  his  reason,  he  can 
not  find  an  object  of  his  affection  nor  a  sphere  of 
action  for  his  will,  in  completeness,  except  in  God  who 
is  the  ground  as  well  as  giver  of  reason,  of  love,  and 
of  freedom.  It  is  this  potential  relation  to  God 
which  stamps  man  as  of  unmeasured  worth ;  it  is  be- 
cause he  is  in  the  image  of  God  that  man  is  above 
nature.  For  tho  immersed  in  nature,  and  to  that 
extent  under  necessity,  man  is  also  supernatural, 
being  personal,  and  able  to  conceive  a  goal  of  his 
being  and  strive  toward  it.     But  he  finds  himself  by 


182  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

transgression  fettered  within ;  an  evil,  when  he  would 
do  good,  is  present  with  him.  The  chains  that  bind 
Prometheus  are  not  mythical,  and  the  vultures  at 
his  vitals  are  not  imaginary.  But  the  Deliverer  also 
is  real.  He  for  whom  the  world  looked  has  already 
come,  to  deliver  from  the  body  of  this  death.  With 
the  power  of  reigning  sin  broken,  with  the  affections 
purified,  with  the  will  renewed,  man  draws  near  to 
God  as  the  source  of  his  strength,  and  goes  forward 
in  the  freedom  of  reason  and  of  love,  acting  not  ac- 
cording to  an  outward  or  inner  necessity  of  nature  as 
do  the  plants  and  animals,  but  according  to  an  ideal, 
and  drawing  forth  his  reality,  self-determined,  not 
from  what  is,  but  from  what  ought  to  be — from  the 
realm,  in  other  words,  of  the  ideal.  Thus  upon  man 
himself  God  places  the  solemn  responsibility  for  his 
own  character ;  into  man' s  own  hand  God  places  man' s 
destiny,  and  the  responsibility  can  not  be  shifted 
elsewhere.  Into  the  inner  core  of  his  nature  no 
created  being  can  enter,  and  into  it  God  will  not  coer- 
cively  enter. 

II.  Emancipation  is  not  an  end  in  itself.  Man  ceases 
from  bondage  that  he  may  really  serve.  Ye  are  my 
friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you.  Freo- 
dom  does  not  estrange  from  the  Deliverer.  It  ele- 
vates into  a  new  relation  and  knits  a  stronger  bond. 
The  freeman  of  Christ  becomes  more  truly  a  servant 
than   ever.     Nor   does    emancipation,  the   complete 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE.  183 

freedom  of  the  soul  which  Christ  gives,  destroy  so- 
ciety. Bondage  throws  society  into  unstable  equilib- 
rium by  reducing  man  to  a  bare,  naked  unit.  Free- 
dom, by  developing  man  into  a  unity,  promotes  the 
stability  of  society.  Even  through  his  appetites  and 
desires,  the  natural  effect  of  which  is  to  disintegrate 
society,  the  freeman  is  bound  to  his  fellows  by  a 
thousand  ties.  His  breakfast-table  stretches  forth 
its  tentacles  to  all  lands.  But  no  cords  reach  from 
the  hut  of  the  slave  or  savage  to  other  latitudes  and 
other  climes.  The  slave  or  savage  is  almost  a  stark 
unit;  the  developed  freeman  is  a  rich  and  manifold 
unity  which  touches  others,  and  is  touched  by  others 
at  a  thousand  points.  Liberty  does  not  reduce  man- 
kind to  atoms  mutually  repellent,  but  it  makes  each 
a  free  ministering  member  of  a  social  organism. 
Thus  Jesus,  who  of  men  was  the  most  free,  was  also 
the  most  obedient  to  the  laws  of  His  individual  and 
social  being.  Even  His  personal  perfection,  it  is 
hinted,  was  attained  by  the  things  which  He  suffered 
in  the  freedom  of  His  love  toward  God  and  man. 

Nor  is  Christian  freedom  arbitrariness.  The  free- 
man is  not  lawless  in  his  thinking,  nor  in  his  feel- 
ings, nor  in  his  volitions.  Otherwise  the  highest  type 
of  rational  life  should  be  sought  among  madmen. 
Keason  is  most  free  when  it  moves  most  strictly  ac- 
cording to  the  rational  order.  It  is  the  disordered  or 
arbitrary  mental  movement  which  is  fettered.     Obe- 


184  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

dience  to  law  and  freedom  must  coexist.  Neither  is 
possible  without  the  other.  Only  he  who  is  himself 
master,  only  he  who  realizes  his  dignity  as  a  freeman, 
can  lovingly  and  nobly  serve.  There  is  always  an 
element  of  bondage  in  him  whose  gift  expects  a  re- 
turn. When  Christ  washed  His  disciples'  feet,  it  was 
no  menial  service  that  was  rendered,  because  it  was 
not  a  menial  who  rendered  it.  It  is  the  spirit  of  the 
doer  which  determines  the  deed.  A  man  may  rule  a 
kingdom  or  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  spirit  of  a  slave. 
In  fact,  if  he  be  a  slave  in  soul,  that  is  the  way  he 
will  do  all  his  work.  But  if  he  be  a  freeman,  en- 
franchized and  ennobled  of  God,  illuminated  by  the 
truth  and  by  the  Spirit,  he  may  lay  upon  himself  the 
lowliest  duties ;  to  such  an  one  no  duties  can  be  low. 
But  as  real  ethical  obedience  can  not  exist  apart  from 
freedom,  so  freedom  can  not  exist  except  in  rational 
obedience.  Freedom  is  not  a  condition  of  the  soul, 
but  a  mode  of  activity.  The  term  freedom  could  not 
be  applied  to  a  being  that  was  completely  statical. 
Man  will  act.  Such  is  his  nature.  If  he  does  not 
move  forward  in  the  sphere  of  freedom,  he  will  di- 
verge into  the  realm  of  bondage;  but  he  must  choose 
one  or  the  other.  Not  to  choose  one  is  to  choose  the 
other.  No  one  can  be  free  except  in  obedience  to  the 
conditions  of  freedom.  Kational  living  is  possible 
only  by  compliance  with  the  laws  of  rational  life. 
We  are  his  friends  if  we  do  what  he  commands. 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE.  185 

Failure  to  obey  is  suicide.  The  wicked,  physically, 
does  not  live  out  half  his  days.  The  rationally  diso- 
bedient ceases  at  once  to  be  free.  lu  the  day  that  he 
sins  he  dies.  Liberty  and  law  are  not  two,  but  one, 
and  around  this  unity  in  duality  revolves  the  whole 
moral  world.  It  is  this  principle  of  mind  and  will 
which  is  the  bond  of  society.  It  is  by  this  that  right- 
eousness exalts  both  the  individual  and  the  nation ; 
righteousness,  an  activity  in  accordance  with  the  con- 
stitutive principles  of  both  individual  and  social  life. 
Obedience,  however,  implies  more  than  law,  it  also 
implies  authority.  Authority  is  personal  and  can 
be  exercised  only  over  the  free.  Freedom  is  not 
deduced  from  authority,  tho  it  is  established  by  it. 
Now  the  authority  that  can  bind  human  freedom  is 
not  abstract  law,  nor  man's  fundamental  constitution, 
nor  anything  on  a  level  with  man.  The  authority 
which  is  to  bind  free  personalities  must  strike  deeper 
than  the  person  himself.  It  can  not  be  anything  con- 
ditioned or  finite.  It  can  only  be  supreme  wisdom 
and  power  in  the  unity  of  perfect  love.  The  source 
of  the  authority  which  binds  freedom  must  be  above 
freedom.  No  idea  can  be  authoritative  over  me ;  no 
principle  or  law.  For  however  much  the  law  may  be 
above  me  in  many  respects,  I  am  superior  to  the  law 
in  this,  that  it  is  I  who  know  the  law,  and  that  the 
law  does  not  know  me.  In  order,  then,  to  bind  me 
in  my  freedom,  there  must  be  more  than  the  law  on 


186  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

tables  of  stone,  saying,  Thou  shalt,  or  Thou  shalt  not. 
There  must  be  the  person,  the  I  am  that  I  am,  who 
enunciates  a  law  as  unchangeable  as  himself.  In  order 
that  the  law  may  commend  itself  to  my  conscience,  I 
must  know  that  he  who  gives  the  law  and  assumes  the 
authority  has  the  right  to  legislate  and  to  rule.  I 
must  recognize  him  as  the  Lord  my  God  who  brought 
me  out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  No  authority, 
whether  of  state  or  family,  which  does  not  commend 
itself  to  the  conscience  can  be  real  authority.  Mere 
power  is  not,  nor  ever  can  be,  authority.  At  the  same 
time  there  must  be  power  in  authority,  and  in  su- 
preme authority  there  must  be  supreme  power.  Au- 
thority must  command,  not  persuade;  yet  the  com- 
mand must  be  the  expression  not  of  power  only,  but 
of  personal  righteousness  and  love. 

The  three  elements  exist  in  Christ  who  calls  His 
disciples  into  fellowship  with  Himself,  yet  lays  the 
commandment  upon  them.  He  is  the  embodiment  of 
power;  He  is  the  incarnation  of  righteousness;  He 
is  the  revelation  of  infinite  love. 

We  speak  of  Him  thus  because  we  regard  Him  as 
the  God-man,  the  synthesis  of  the  finite  and  Infinite, 
the  unity  of  righteousness  and  mercy,  of  grace  and 
truth.  Being  such,  all  power  is  given  Him  in  heaven 
and  in  earth ;  being  such.  He  has  moral  authority  over 
all  free  beings;  being  such,  He  calls  all  men  every- 
where into  the  life  of  freedom  and  obedience  in  love. 


FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE.  187 

There  arise  personalities  who  have  extraordinary 
intellectual  and  volitional  potency  who  exercise  a  one- 
sided authority  which  reduces  men  into  the  condition 
of  slaves  or  blind  adherents,  which  will  break  or  ban- 
ish every  man  of  independent  spirit,  which  will  have 
no  captains  but  only  lieutenants  in  its  train.  The 
God-man  has  this  intellectual  and  volitional  potency, 
but  He  asks  no  blind  adherents,  He  seeks  no  servile 
followers.  He  wants  friends  to  whom  He  may  in 
free  self -revelation  communicate  Himself,  and  make 
them  free  with  a  freedom  like  His  own.  There  are 
men  who  to  great  intellectual  and  volitional  potency 
add  moral  worth,  so  that  their  authority  becomes 
ethical,  commending  itself  to  the  conscience  of  men. 
Upon  such  a  basis  rested  that  extraordinary  moral 
monarchy  which  a  hundred  years  ago  swayed  the  scat- 
tered colonies  of  this  land.  Under  that  mighty  and 
pervasive  sway  communities  were  molded  into  unity. 
But  in  that  authority  there  was  one  element  that  was 
not  present  in  completeness.  That  august  figure  com- 
manded the  respect  and  reverence  of  all  continents, 
but  had  few  loving  friends.  The  Christ  is  not  defi- 
cient in  ethical  character.  No  one  was  more  firm  in 
will,  more  set  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  more  in- 
flexible in  duty  than  He.  Whether  on  earth  in  bod- 
ily presence  as  He  once  was,  or  in  spiritual  presence 
as  now  He  is.  He  was  not  then,  nor  is  He  now,  a  proper 
subject  for  pity.     Not  for  Him  the  majestic  incarna- 


188  FREEDOM  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

tion  of  righteousness  and  truth ;  not  for  Him  before 
whose  eye  soldiers  and  mob  alike  trembled  and  fell 
back ;  not  for  Him  before  whose  presence  priest  and 
pretor  quailed;  not  for  Him,  but  for  themselves  and 
their  children,  should  the  daughters  of  all  Jerusa- 
lem weep.  But  while  He  is  thus  the  incarnate  holi- 
ness, He  is  also  the  incarnate  love  and  compassion. 
If  Christ  were  only  power  and  righteousness,  still  He 
ought  of  right  to  reign,  and  men  should  in  their  free- 
dom choose  Him  as  the  center  of  their  life  and  goal  of 
their  activity.  But  there  is  an  added  element  of  char- 
acter, not  the  least,  when  He  whose  right  it  is  to  rule, 
and  who  commends  Himself  and  His  rule  to  our  con- 
science, and  commands  our  supreme  reverence,  is  also 
one  who  because  He  is  love  and  compassion  satisfies 
the  deepest  yearnings  of  the  heart. 

Such,  then,  is  He  who  invites  us  into  the  circle  of 
His  friends ;  such  is  He  who  makes  us  partakers  of 
His  character ;  such  is  He  who  makes  us  coworkers 
in  His  mission ;  such  is  He  who  will  make  us  sharers 
of  His  throne.  He  does  not  subdue  us  into  slaves; 
He  does  not  reduce  us  to  beggars;  He  enriches  with 
all  spiritual  riches ;  He  makes  us  freemen ;  He  calls 
us  friends;  He  lays  down  His  life  for  His  friends; 
He  gives  His  final  and  all-including  commandment,  a 
commandment  which  is  the  bond  of  all  society,  the 
spur  to  all  noble  achievement,  namely,  this,  that  we 
love  one  another,  as  He  has  loved  us. 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

By  Rev.    Morien    Mon    Hughes,    Ph.D.,    Rome, 
N.  Y. 

"  And  all  the  people  that  came  together  to  that  sight  smote 
their  breasts  and  returned.  " — Luke  xxiii.  48. 

This  wonderful  event  is  the  turning-point  in  our 
hope  and  prospect  for  time  and  for  eternity.  Be  our 
other  attainments  what  they  may,  be  our  progress  in 
subjects  of  inferior  wisdom  ever  so  extensive,  they 
should  become  as  entirely  subordinate  to  the  great 
mystery  of  godliness  as  were  the  acquirements  of  Paul 
when  he  exclaimed :  "  What  things  were  gain  to  me, 
those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ.  I  am  determined  to 
know  nothing  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified. " 
The  importance,  then,  of  the  subject  and  the  appro- 
priation of  this  day  to  a  grateful  remembrance  of  the 
death  of  Our  Lord  and  Savior  alike  invite  us  to  join 
the  multitudes  who  accompanied  Him  from  Jerusalem 
to  Golgotha,  to  take  our  place  with  them  by  the  cross, 
and,  with  a  prayer  for  the  presence  and  blessing  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  upon  our  meditations,  to  consider — 

I.  The  feelings  with  which  the  people  came  to  wit- 
ness the  death  of  Jesus. 

Ib9 


190  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

II.  The  scene  which  they  were  called  to  behold. 

III.  The  state  of  mind  in  which  they  returned  from 
the  crucifixion. 

I.  The  wisdom  of  our  blessed  Lord  had  been  un- 
rivaled. He  had  spoken  as  never  man  spake.  His 
miracles  had  so  undeniably  attested  the  presence  of 
divine  power  that  even  the  devils  whom  He  ejected 
acknowledged  Him  to  be  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
His  high  qualities  of  every  kind  had  gained  Him  a 
name  which  the  malignity  of  His  enemies  could  only 
hope  to  bury  in  His  grave.  That  the  Savior  should, 
therefore,  have  attracted  the  regard  of  multitudes,  and 
induced  them  to  follow  Him  eagerly  as  He  passed 
from  judgment  and  condemnation  to  the  cruel  death 
of  the  cross,  is  entirely  in  accord  with  the  movements 
of  a  curiosity  implanted  in  our  nature.  An  interest, 
however,  more  noble,  as  well  as  more  intense,  seems 
to  have  actuated  those  who  went  in  the  train  of  the 
suffering  Savior,  and  saw  the  keystone  put  to  the 
arch  of  human  redemption,  and  of  human  hope,  when 
the  victim  of  the  sins  of  man  and  the  justice  of  Jeho- 
vah exclaimed,  *' It  is  finished,"  and  bowed  His 
anointed  head  and  gave  up  the  Ghost.  "  There  fol- 
lowed," we  are  told  in  the  accounts  of  this  mournful 
procession,  *'  a  great  company  of  people  and  of  women, 
which  also  bewailed  and  lamented  Him."  And  it 
was  doubtless  upon  them  that  the  evangelist's  eye 
was  turned  when  the  Holy  Spirit  bade  him  pen  the 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST.  191 

text.  Many,  no  doubt,  had  taken  their  station  upon 
the  hill  of  crucifixion  who  had  listened  to  the  teach- 
ing of  Jesus,  and  as  His  doctrine  sank  into  their 
hearts  reechoed  the  fervid  confession  of  Peter's  faith: 
"Thou  hast  the  word  of  eternal  life."  Others  had 
doubtless  felt  the  Almighty  energy  of  that  healing  hand 
from  which  pain  and  sickness  had  fled  away  as  clouds 
from  the  sun  when  he  sliineth  in  his  strength.  The 
leper  over  whom  Jesus  had  said,  "  I  will,  be  thou 
clean,  and  immediately  his  leprosy  was  cleansed, "  the 
deaf  whose  ears  He  had  opened,  the  dumb  whose  tongue 
He  had  loosed,  the  cripple  whose  strength  He  had 
renewed,  the  dead  whom  He  had  restored  to  life, 
might  be  among  the  crowd  of  those  who  witnessed  the 
last  agonies  of  the  Lamb  of  God. 

Among  these,  if  they  were  swayed  by  the  ordinary 
motives  that  influence  the  hearts  of  man,  there  must 
have  been  an  excitement  and  an  interest  the  most 
intense.  Reverence  for  His  character,  love  of  His 
goodness,  respect  for  His  wisdom,  must  have  lent 
their  united  power  to  produce  a  sympathy  for  the 
sufferings  of  Christ.  There  might,  indeed,  be  some 
who  had  concurred  in  the  terrible  sentence,  who  had 
clamored  out  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees,  and  chief  priests,  "  Crucify  Him,  crucify 
Him."  Nay,  some  there  might  be  on  whose  souls 
rested  the  deep  and  awful  curse  with  which  in  the 
wantonness  of  malice  they  had  charged  their  souls. 


192  THE  DEATH   OF  CHRIST. 

"His  blood  be  upon  us  and  our  children."  But  even 
these  seem  with  few  exceptions  to  have  been  awed  by 
the  solemn  scene  before  them;  persuaded,  as  they 
must  previously  have  been,  that  "  this  was  indeed  a 
righteous  man." 

Now,  I  would  ask,  whether  among  ourselves  who 
are  met  to  commemorate  the  death  of  Christ,  or 
whether  among  the  myri?,ds  who  are  at  this  hour  en- 
gaged in  the  same  sacred  employment,  there  be  an 
individual  who  has  not,  like  the  multitude  that  stood 
around  the  cross,  received  blessings  and  mercies  at 
the  Savior's  hand?  Where  shall  we  iind  one  to  whom 
His  doctrine  has  not  been  offered?  Where  one  on 
whom  His  arm  of  mercy  has  not  been  laid  for  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  blessings?  Whom  His  love  has 
not  embraced  or  His  goodness  spared?  There  may 
indeed  be  some  whom  the  Savior's  doctrine  has  not 
made  more  wise,  whom  His  power  has  not  renewed  to 
the  exercise  of  spiritual  strength  and  life,  and  whom 
His  love  has  not  subdued  to  the  supreme  gratitude  of 
Christian  love.  But  the  cause  lies  neither  with  Christ, 
as  the  great  teacher  of  the  Gospel,  nor  with  the  won- 
der-working hand  of  His  grace. 

Debtors,  then,  as  you  are  to  the  mercy  and  compas- 
sion of  Christ,  with  what  affections  ought  you  to  take 
your  place  in  the  ordinances  of  this  day  in  which  He 
is  openly  set  forth  crucified  before  you?  Will  you 
permit  your  minds  to  behold  this  wondrous  scene  in 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST.  193 

indifference?  Will  you  attend  this  day  at  the  cruci- 
fixion upon  Calvary  as  if  you  were  uninterested  in  all 
the  circumstances  of  the  Redeemer's  passion?  If  the 
multitude  beheld  a  man  gifted  with  power  and  wis- 
dom supernaturally  great,  you  are  privileged  to  see 
still  more.  He  whose  brow  was  wounded  with  the 
crown  of  thorns  now  wears  the  diadem  of  everlasting 
dominion  in  Heaven,  as  one  with  the  Father,  over  all 
God,  blessed  forevermore.  He  in  whose  hands  the 
insulting  soldiers  placed  the  mock  scepter  and  whom 
they  hailed  King  of  the  Jews,  hath  on  His  vesture 
and  on  his  thigh  a  name  which  is  above  every  other 
name,  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords ;  He  before 
whom  His  enemies  leaned  in  daring  mockery  of  obedi- 
ence, is  the  most  High  God,  "  at  whose  name  every 
knee  shall  bow,  of  things  in  Heaven,  and  things  in 
earth,  and  things  under  the  earth."  He  whom  His 
murderers  invited  to  come  down  from  the  cross,  on 
which  their  malice  had  suspended  Him,  is  the  adora- 
ble Being,  of  whom  it  is  said  "  that  every  tongue 
shall  confess  that  He  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the 
Father."  If,  then,  the  Jews,  who  beheld  this  trans- 
action, sympathized  with  the  dying  Savior,  little  as 
they  knew  of  His  person  and  the  objects  of  His  mis- 
sion, what  shall  you  feel  "  who  know  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  He  was  rich,  yet  that  for  our 
sake's  He  became  poor,  that  we  through  His  poverty 
might  be  made  rich?  "  What  shall  you  feel  who  know 
13 


194  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

that  the  hands  which  nailed  the  Redeemer  to  the  cross 
were  overruled  by  the  counsels  of  Heaven  to  fasten 
Him  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  the  full,  perfect,  and 
sufficient  satisfaction  for  our  sins?  What  should  be 
your  emotions  who  know  that  the  consummated  mercy 
of  this  day  is  your  only  hope,  that  without  the  blood 
shed  by  the  nails  and  the  spear  there  would  have  been 
no  remission  for  your  sins?  Were  they  who  followed 
Jesus  to  His  death  for  the  most  part  well-wishers? 
What  then  are  you  ? 

If  they  saw  so  much  to  admire  and  reverence,  what 
do  you  behold  who  see  the  whole  scheme  of  redemp- 
tion, of  which  He  is  the  author  and  finisher,  laid  out 
before  you,  as  your  guide  and  way,  like  the  chart  of 
his  course  to  the  eye  of  the  seaman?  Did  the  multi- 
tude consider  Him  worthy  of  their  regard  when  they 
followed  Him;  and  what  shall  you?  Did  men  ad- 
mire His  affection  when  He  stood  at  the  grave  of 
Lazarus,  and  say,  as  He  shed  some  tears  over  the  life- 
less body  of  His  friend,  "  Behold  how  He  loved  him, " 
and  shall  not  you  feel  your  hearts  irresistibly  drawn 
to  Him  who  manifested  His  affection  to  you  not  by  a 
weeping  eye,  but  by  the  agony  of  the  garden  and  by 
the  blood  of  the  cross?  Angels  hailed  His  birth,  they 
ministered  to  Him  after  His  temptation,  they  consoled 
Him  in  the  bitter  struggle  of  Gethsemane,  the  hour 
of  His  humiliation  was  the  time  in  which  their  serv- 
ice was  most  eager,  their  reverence  was  most  pro- 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST.  195 

found;  and  His  last  agony  filled  them  with  awe  and 
wonder.  I  call  upon  you,  therefore,  the  redeemed  of 
the  cross,  the  object  of  a  salvation,  with  which  angels 
can  not  fully  sympathize,  to  attend  the  dying  Redeemer 
with  all  the  feelings  of  holy  love,  unfeigned  grati- 
tude, exalted  respect,  becoming  those  for  whom  such 
a  Savior  has  been  provided  and  who  have  been  ran- 
somed from  eternal  death — by  a  redemption  in  com- 
parison of  which  the  treasure  of  unnumbered  worlds 
is  as  dust  in  the  balance. 

II.  If  the  witnesses  of  this  astonishing  scene  at- 
tended the  Savior  on  the  cross  with  such  feelings  as 
I  have  described,  the  spectacle  which  that  cross  pre- 
sented, and  which  I  am  next  to  notice,  must  have  ex- 
cited their  still  stronger  emotions.  The  extent  of 
suffering  to  which  they  saw  the  promised  Messiah 
exposed,  the  indignities  heaped  upon  Him,  the  meek- 
ness with  which  they  were  endured,  the  deep  mystery 
that  enveloped  the  whole  scene — must  have  excited 
additional  wonder.  The  certainty  that  all  this  an- 
guish was  undeserved,  the  sun  eclipsed,  the  veil  of 
the  temple  rent,  the  earthquakes  which  shook  the 
place  on  which  they  stood,  the  graves  which  were 
opened,  the  bodies  of  saints  which  arose — all  these 
must  have  bowed  down  the  minds,  even  of  the  most 
unreflecting,  to  cry  with  the  centurion,  "  Truly  this 
was  the  Son  of  God." 

And  now  I  ask  with  our  Lord,  when  He  addressed 


196  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

the  multitudes  concerning  the  person  and  mission  of 
John  the  Baptist :  *'  What  went  ye  out  for  to  see?  A 
reed  shaken  by  the  wind?  But  what  went  ye  out  for 
to  see?"  A  mere  ordinary  transaction,  which  may 
excite  a  passing  interest,  a  momentary  wonder,  and 
then  be  remembered  no  more.  Far  otherwise,  the 
ordinances  of  this  day  direct  your  minds  to  the  fulfil- 
ments of  those  counsels  which  originated  in  Heaven 
for  the  salvation  of  a  fallen  world,  of  which  the  first 
notice  was  given  to  man  when  he  was  driven  from 
Paradise;  which  a  series  of  types  and  sacrifices  pre- 
figured ;  which  a  long  line  of  prophets  predicted,  in- 
creasing in  minuteness  and  clearness  of  description  as 
they  drew  nigh  the  period  when  the  Lord  should  lay 
on  His  Son  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  You  are  called 
hither  to  see  the  process  of  Eedemption  brought  to  its 
close;  the  veil  is  rent  which  hid  the  purposes  of 
eternal  mercy  from  our  eyes.  You  may  not  only  be- 
hold their  accomplishments  on  your  behalf,  but  "  you 
may  enter  into  the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by 
a  new  and  living  way,  which  He  hath  consecrated  for 
you."  The  attributes  of  Jehovah  injured  and  out. 
raged  by  man's  transgression  demand  signal  repara- 
tion; His  mercy  has  been  abused;  His  patience  has 
been  despised ;  His  goodness  has  been  wronged ;  Hig 
holiness  has  been  insulted ;  His  truth  has  been  contra- 
dicted ;  His  power  has  been  defied.  Where,  then,  shall 
the  dreadful  punishment  fall ;  and  who  may  abide  the 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST.  197 

consuming  fierceness  of  the  wrath  with  which  it  will 
be  inflicted?  The  scene  which  pious  minds  are  now 
at  once  contemplating  solves  the  doubt  and  difficulty. 
"Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the 
sins  of  the  world !  "  Behold  the  second  Adam  sleep- 
ing in  death !  Behold  the  rock  smitten  and  the  waters 
of  life  gushing  out!  Behold  the  fountain  that  is  set 
open  for  the  house  of  David  for  sin  and  for  unclean- 
ness !  When  the  spear  of  the  soldier  pierced  His  side, 
forthwith  there  came  blood  and  water,  "  Savior  of 
man  "  by  that  water  we  are  washed,  by  that  blood  we 
are  redeemed ! 

"  Forbid  it,  Lord  !  that  I  should  boast 
Save  in  the  death  of  Christ,  my  God  ; 
All  the  vain  things  that  charm  me  most 
I  sacrifice  them  to  His  blood. 

"Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small ; 
Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 
Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all.  " 

III.  Having  viewed  the  wonderful  scene  which  the 
assembled  multitude  beheld,  we  shall  surely  be  at  no 
loss  to  imagine  the  state  of  mind  in  which  they  de- 
parted from  the  crucifixion.  "All  the  people  that 
came  together  to  that  sight,  beholding  the  things  that 
were  done,  smote  their  breasts  and  returned."  If 
they  loved  and  reverenced  our  blessed  Lord  before  they 


198  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

went  with  the  multitude  to  the  scene  of  suffering,  the 
pangs  which  He  underwent  and  the  spirit  in  which 
He  met  His  death  must  have  produced  a  holy  mourn- 
ing in  their  hearts.  The  exclamation  of  sorrow,  when 
His  soul  fainted  beneath  the  anguish  of  divine  deser- 
tion, "  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sabacthani ;  My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?  "  must  have  awakened 
all  their  sympathy.  The  triumphant  promise  to  con- 
duct the  penitent  companion  of  His  last  agony  to  para- 
dise; the  tenderness  with  which  He  delivered  His 
mother  to  the  disciple  whom  He  loved ;  and  the  prayer 
of  unexampled  mercy  in  which  He  interceded  for  His 
murderers,  must  have  redoubled  every  affectionate 
feeling  of  their  hearts.  Even  they  who  had  pierced 
Him  must  have  looked  upon  their  victim  and  mourned 
because  of  Him  with  cutting  self-reproach. 

Suppose  ye,  then,  that  they  returned  to  forget  the 
scenes  they  had  witnessed  and  the  emotions  which 
had  been  awakened  in  their  hearts,  amidst  the  eager- 
ness of  secular  pursuits  or  the  pleasures  and  vanities 
of  the  city  of  Jerusalem?  I  think  the  history  demands 
another  view  of  the  subject.  I  must  believe  with  many 
ancient  and  modern  authors  that  among  the  multi- 
tude who  witnessed  the  crucifixion  were  very  many 
whose  minds,  then  first  awakened,  were  touched  with 
the  hand  of  the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  and 
who,  pricked  to  the  heart  by  the  sermon  of  Peter,  ex- 
claimed as  they  first  turned  to  God :  "  Men  and  breth- 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST.  199 

ren,  what  shall  we  do?  "  How,  then,  shall  we  return 
from  this  sacred  place  and  from  the  contemplations 
which  it  offers  to  our  attention?  Doubtless,  sincerely 
and  earnestly  sympathizing  with  the  sufferings  of  our 
Lord.  Let  it  not,  however,  be  the  fugitive  and  un- 
profitable emotion  of  quick  affections ;  but  the  sorrow 
of  principle,  the  due  and  deep  regret  for  the  exceed- 
ing sinfulness  of  sin,  which  made  such  an  atonement 
needful,  and  drew  the  Son  of  God  from  the  exaltation 
of  His  throne  to  the  abasement  of  His  cross.  Re- 
member His  advice  to  the  women  who  lamented  and 
bewailed  Him  as  He  passed  to  crucifixion  :  "  Daugh- 
ters of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  Me,  but  weep  for 
yourselves  and  for  your  children."  Lament  the  share 
which  you  have  had  in  crucifying  the  Lord  of  Heaven ; 
weep  for  your  sins  with  the  tears  of  true  repentance. 
If  you  really  glory  in  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  view 
the  astonishing  event  of  this  day,  not  merely  as  in 
itself  historically  remarkable,  but  as  ministering  the 
best  gift  which  everlasting  and  unbounded  mercy  could 
bestow  upon  you,  remember  that  the  world  must  be 
crucified  to  you  and  you  to  the  world.  The  mortifi- 
cation of  every  sin  which  the  Lord  of  Heaven  has 
branded  with  a  curse,  and  which  the  mercy  of  Heaven 
has  blotted  out  in  the  blood  of  the  great  Passover,  is 
the  only  undoubted  test  that  yours  is  that  godly  sor- 
row which  worketh  repentance  unto  salvation  not  to 
be  repented  of.     The  death  of  Christ  was  voluntary. 


200  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

Let  our  sacrifice  of  all  unrighteousness  be  offered  with 
a  willing  heart ;  for  otherwise  you  can  have  no  evi- 
dence of  an  interest  in  this  atonement.  Be  sure  that 
as  God  in  that  sacrifice  has  undeniably  manifested 
His  compassion  to  offending  man,  so  He  has  evidently 
declared  the  certainty  and  terrors  of  His  inflictions 
upon  the  impenitent.  Let  our  astonishment  at  this 
act  of  mercy  raise  our  hearts  in  grateful  rapture.  Let 
it  exalt  them  in  the  sincerity  of  unrivaled  affection 
to  Him  who  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
His  own  blood. 

Let  it  inspire  us  with  a  hope  of  mercy  and  salvation 
which  could  rest  upon  no  other  foundation,  a  hope 
which  stands  upon  the  Kock  of  Ages,  and  will  remain 
unshaken  even  in  the  day  of  Judgment. 

"  Finished  all  the  types  and  shadows 
Of  the  ceremonial  law. 
Finished  all  that  God  had  promised, 
Death  and  hell  no  more  shall  awe. 

It  is  finished ! 
Saints,  from  hence  your  comfort  draw.  " 

Christ  exclaims  from  the  cross  to  you,  who  have  not 
as  it  were  beheld  His  dying  agony :  **  Look  unto  Me 
and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth;  for  I  am 
God,  and  beside  Me  there  is  no  Savior."  Eesign 
yourself  to  Him,  unconverted  friend,  as  the  only  giver 
of  salvation,  and  answer  His  call  with  the  question  of 
the  Psalmist's  faith,  "  Whom  have  I  in  Heaven  but 


THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST.  201 

Thee?  and  there  is  noue  upon  earth  that  I  desire  be- 
side Thee." 

And  let  me  affectionately  entreat  you  to  beware 
of  a  transient  affection.  If  religion  be  anything  (and 
it  is  everything),  it  is  not  the  goodness  of  Ephraim 
which  passes  away  like  the  morning  cloud  or  the  early 
dew;  but  an  abiding  principle  which,  deriving  its  ori- 
gin from  a  view  by  faith  of  the  sufferings  and  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  "  crucifies  also  with  Him  "  our  de- 
praved nature  and  quickens  in  us  affections,  dead 
indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord. 

Eegard  not,  then,  these  great  sufferings  as  they 
whose  short-lived  sympathy  can  not  extend  beyond  the 
walls  of  the  sanctuary.  Think  of  them  as  become 
persons  in  whose  minds  a  sentiment  of  abiding  convic- 
tion has  been  awakened,  which  is  in  its  degree  per- 
severing like  the  love  of  Jesus,  and  which  rests  not 
until  the  hour  of  death,  when  you  may  say  with  Him, 
of  the  warfare  of  life  successfully  fought  and  the  foes 
of  salvation  triumphantly  vanquished :  "  It  is  finished. " 

"  'Tis  finished  !  let  the  joyful  sound 
Be  heard  through  all  the  nations  round. 
'Tis  finished  !  let  the  triumph  rise 
And  swell  the  chorus  of  the  skies.  " 

My  dear  readers,  those  arms  which  the  enemies  of 
the  Lord  of  glory  extended  upon  the  cross  in  help- 


202  THE  DEATH  OF  CHRIST. 

lessness  and  pain  are  now  stretching  out  in  the  ful- 
ness of  infinite  mercy,  and  the  sufiiciency  of  almighty 
power  for  all  who  desire  the  benefit  of  redemption. 
Let  the  unbeliever  reflect  that  there  remaineth  no 
more  sacrifice  for  sin.  Let  the  self-dependent  learn 
that  there  is  no  other  name  given  under  Heaven 
whereby  man  may  be  saved. 

Let  the  inquiring  and  awakened  hear  the  voice  which 
says,  ''  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt 
be  saved."  Let  the  humble  and  adoring  Christian 
trust  and  know  that  in  the  Kedeemer's  cross  he  has 
an  anchor  of  the  soul  sure  and  stedfast.  Let  all  who 
are  indifferent  to,  or  negligent  of,  this  salvation  con- 
sider the  purport  of  the  Savior's  dying  prayer: 
"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do!" 

"E'er  since  by  faith  I  saw  the  stream 
Thy  flowing  wounds  supply, 
Cedeeming  love  has  been  my  theme, 
And  shall  be  till  I  die. 

"  Then  in  a  nobler,  sweeter  song 
'    I'll  sing  thy  power  to  save. 
When  this  poor  lisping,  stammering  tongue 
Lies  silent  in  the  grave.  " 


LIFE'S    RENEWALS,    OR    PERPETUAL 
YOUTH. 

By  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones,  Chicago,  III. 

"  Who  satisfieth  thy  mowth  with  good  things  ; 
So  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's.  " 

— Psalm  ciii.  5. 

The  old  alchemists  sought  long  and  earnestly  for 
the  elixir  that  would  convert  baser  metals  into  gold, 
counteract  the  disintegrating  forces  of  time,  and  se- 
cure for  man  perpetual  youth.  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon 
led  his  Spanish  followers  through  the  jungles  of  Flop- 
ida,  hoping  to  find,  hidden  somewhere  in  forest 
depths,  the  fountain,  drinking  from  w^hich  man  would 
secure  perennial  youth.  Expectantly  they  drank  from 
every  spring  of  fresh  water  they  met.  Anxiously 
they  bathed  in  each  stream  they  crossed,  but  still  the 
days  brought  fatigue,  the  journey  disease,  and  time 
death. 

The  early  explorers  of  this  New  World  traveled 
many  weary  miles  in  search  of  the  Eldorado,  the  land 
of  gold.  Gold  indeed  did  these  discoverers  find,  but  it 
was  ever  mixed  with  dross,  and  it  was  only  procurable 
at  an  exchange  value.     It  must  ever  be  bought  at  a 

203 


204  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

liigh  price.  Spurred  on  by  this  liigli  but  mad  quest, 
De  Soto  and  his  band  did  indeed  come  upon  the  great 
river;  but  his  body  soon  after  found  its  resting-place 
in  the  bottom  of  the  Mississippi,  which  he  had  discov- 
ered. The  elixir  is  not  yet  found,  the  Eldorado  re- 
mains undiscovered.  Still  those  who  enter  the  gate 
of  birth  must  pass  out  at  the  gate  of  death.  The 
eagle  itself,  contrary  to  the  assumption  of  the  He- 
brew poet  as  implied  in  my  text,  and  the  traditions 
of  the  ancients,  must  needs  learn  that  the  time  will 
come  when  its  pinions  will  stiffen.  The  century  will 
dim  its  eye.  The  time  comes  when  its  moltings  bring 
no  renewal.  Let  us  indulge  in  no  wild  fancies.  We 
will  seek  no  impossible  perpetuation  of  that  which 
by  divine  necessity  must  end.  Old  age  and  death 
are  a  part  of  the  beneficent  order.  Death  and  birth 
are  divine  complements.  Weakness  and  sorrow  are 
the  conditions  of  life,  the  inevitable  consequences  of 
living. 

And  yet  there  is  that  in  them  which  grows  not  old. 
Once  in  a  while  we  catch  glimpses  of  a  force  within 
the  human  heart  that  may  even  grow  more  youthful 
with  the  years.  The  channel  narrows  as  it  deepens, 
and  the  murmuring  of  its  waters  grows  more  musical 
as  it  grows  less  turbulent.  Now  and  then  we  see 
that  which  shines  through  faces  that  are  canopied 
with  white ;  something  more  youthful  and  sunny  than 
anything  that  breaks  upon  the  dimpled  face  of  baby- 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  205 

hood.  Now  and  then  we  hear  grandmothers  crooning 
sunrise  hymns  and  see  grandfathers  making  cheerful 
that  which  youth  fails  to  brighten.  These  hint  at  a 
renewal  of  life  that  justifies  the  inquiry,  Whence 
comes  it,  and  how  is  it? 

I  abandon  the  impossible  roads  of  the  alchemist.  I 
am  persuaded  that  there  are  no  Florida  glades  that 
contain  the  waters  of  immortal  life ;  that  there  are 
no  sunny  slopes  of  a  Western  Eldorado  v/hereon  may 
bask  perennial  youth  in  measureless  plenty.  I  will 
seek,  rather,  some  possible  roads  traveling  which  the 
soul  may  find  so  much  of  a  renewal  that  life  will  grow 
more  abundant,  and  the  power  of  life  increases  as  the 
soul  grows  less  dependent  upon  the  body  and  its  elas- 
ticity grows  less  with  years. 

First,  if  life  may  not  be  renewed,  it  certainly  can 
be  prolonged  by  simplifying  it.  We  should  at  least 
learn  to  economize  the  forces  which  we  may  not  cre- 
ate. Certainly  the  spirit  is  sadly  harried  and  wor- 
ried by  multiplying  its  concerns  about  trifling  things. 
Life  is  burdened  with  so  many  unprofitable  details 
that  do  not  contribute  to  the  wealth  of  the  world,  of 
t)ie  homo,  or  of  the  soul.  Cathedrals  can  not  be  built 
out  of  pine  scantling.  Permanent  statues  must  not  be 
molded  in  snow,  and  the  palaces  that  are  reared  in 
ice  vanish  with  the  summer  sun.  We  can  not  per- 
petuate even  the  life  that  is  by  trivialities.  We  must 
not  fritter  away  the  precious  wealth.     The  limited 


206  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

express  that  spans  tlie  distance  between  New  York 
and  Chicago  in  twenty-four  hours  accomplishes  the 
feat  not  so  much  by  increasing  the  speed  as  by  redu- 
cing the  delays.  In  the  main  the  train  does  not  travel 
much  faster  than  the  other  trains  that  take  a  third 
more  time  do  at  their  maximum ;  but  it  makes  fewer 
stops,  it  attends  more  strictly  to  its  through  business. 
Chicago  is  its  objective  point.  It  is  much  so  on  the 
railroad  of  life.  How  young  we  would  all  be  at  sixty, 
aye  at  eighty,  if  we  would  avoid  the  petty,  useless, 
the  unnecessary  delays,  the  unprofitable  business  at 
the  side  stations  along  the  road. 

I  say  the  "petty"  and  the  "unprofitable,"  but  let 
not  this  mislead  us.  We  must  not  forget  that  the 
great  things  of  life  are  often  called  trivial,  and  that 
the  things  deemed  trivial  really  are  the  important 
things.  What  life  is  wasted  and  youth  is  lost  for 
want  of  discrimination  here !  We  know  how  often  in 
our  persistent  rush  for  what  is  considered  by  a  thought- 
less world  as  the  central  station  in  the  metropolitan 
terminus  we  make  flag  stations,  unimportant  sidings, 
oftentimes  of  the  great  things  in  life, — honor,  duty, 
domestic  helpfulness,  and  fireside  confidences.  These 
are  the  great  stations  to  reach  which  we  should  concen- 
trate all  our  energies,  making  everything  else,  social 
considerations,  affections  on  things  external  and  things 
transient,  side  stations  in  life  with  which  we  need 
do  but  little  trafl&c,  at  which  we  should  seldom  stop. 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  207 

Old  age  is  inevitable,  aye,  is  blessed;  but  prema- 
ture old  age  is  deplorable  and  to  be  avoided,  and  this 
is  largely  brought  about  by  the  feverish  unrests  of  ri- 
valry, suspicion,  jealousy,  and  ignoble  worries.  They 
break  down  the  life  that  might  remain  fresh  and  vig- 
orous in  its  eternal  possession. 

If  we  would  learn  the  secret  of  perpetual  youth, 
we  must  do  the  few  things  well,  and  those  things 
must  be  the  central  ones.  Like  the  soldier  on  the 
march,  we  must  throw  away  the  surplus  baggage,  re- 
duce the  impedimenta.  Happy  is  the  soul  that  trav- 
els the  ways  of  life  in  light  marching  order.  The 
strength  of  such  is  conserved  for  the  long  march,  and 
all  his  time  is  his  in  which  to  do  real  work  and  to 
take  real  rest  therefrom. 

In  a  shoe  factory  I  was  once  shown  an  attachment 
to  the  sewing  and  other  machines  which  caused  the 
machine  to  stop  whenever  its  work  was  done.  When 
one  button-hole  was  made  the  mechanism  paused 
until  it  was  given  another  task  to  do,  so  that  no 
power  was  wasted  and  no  useless  wear  permitted. 
And  the  superintendent  said :  *'  That  little  iron  '  trick ' 
cost  us  two  hundred  dollars,  but  it  saves  us  thousands 
of  dollars  every  ysar  in  wear  and  tear  of  machinery 
and  in  attendance.  It  enables  one  operator  to  take 
care  of  two,  three,  and  sometimes  more  machines." 
Here,  at  least,  is  a  hint  that  is  intelligible  and  avail- 
able to  us  all.     How  much  longer  would  our  youth 


208  LIFE'S  REI^EWALS. 

stay  by  us  if  we  had  this  life-saving  attachment 
affixed;  if  we  could  only  stop  when  a  given  task  is 
done ;  if  we  did  but  apply  ourselves  but  once  to  the 
one  thing?  When  we  have  done  our  level  best,  when 
we  have  put  in  our  stroke,  then  let  us  stop,  save  our- 
selves for  the  next  stroke.  All  around  us  we  see  bod- 
ies wrinkled  and  gray,  and  what  is  worse,  souls  soured 
and  hardened  not  from  overwork,  but  from  over-worry. 
We  grow  tired  not  from  what  we  do,  but  from  what 
we  do  not  do  and  can  not  do  and  oftentimes  ought  not 
to  do ;  that  which  if  done  would  bring  but  little  re- 
turns and  count  but  little  in  tlie  investments  of  life. 

If  we  would  renew  our  youth,  let  us  simplify  our 
living,  give  thought  only  to  tliose  things  that  are 
thought-worthy,  husband  our  strength  to  do  those 
things  that  most  need  to  be  done,  the  imperative 
tasks  that  are  ours.  Life  is  prolonged  by  simplicity. 
There  is  deep  philosophic  truth  in  the  pleasanti-y  that 
accounts  for  the  serenity  which  belongs  to  the  Quaker 
matron"  s  face,  by  the  fact  that  all  her  life  long  she 
has  carried  no  anxiety  about  the  styles ;  she  has  spent 
no  time  in  deciding  upon  the  form  and  the  trimming 
of  her  spring  bonnet  or  the  cut  and  color  of  her 
dresses.  Long  life  awaits  the  men  and  women  to 
whom  such  unimportant  questions  are  not  open  ques- 
tions, in  whom  the  routine  of  life  becomes  automatic 
so  that  conscious  strength  goes  into  the  creative  mar- 
gin, the  constructive  outline. 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  209 

But  contradictory  as  it  seems,  the  opposite  princi- 
ple is  equally  important  to  him  who  would  secure  per- 
petual youth.  Variety  is  as  fundamental  a  law  as 
simplicity.  He  who  would  keep  young  must  keep  out 
of  the  ruts.  The  treadmill  is  the  symbol  of  that  which 
is  most  exhausting  in  toil.  The  perennial  life  must 
be  free.  The  higher  life  is  measured  by  the  circle  of 
its  freedom.  Even  the  treadmill  of  the  old  prison 
discipline  was  not  necessarily  hard,  certainly  it  was 
not  dangerous  work ;  on  the  contrary,  it  might  be,  and 
doubtless  often  was,  very  easy  work;  but  it  became 
intolerable  because  it  was  so  monotonous.  It  visited 
unspeakable  torture  because  it  was  so  listless.  That 
work  alone  "pulls  us  down,"  as  we  say,  in  which 
there  is  no  relish.  "I  found  myself  growing  dull, 
and  so  I  have  taken  up  French  this  winter,"  said  a 
friend  at  fifty-five.  He  was  thus  renewing  his  youth 
by  conqueriDg  a  new  language.  This  law  of  variety 
is  imperative  everywhere.  He  who  works  must  work 
in  such  a  way  as  to  get  joy  out  of  it,  else  the  work 
will  crush  him,  however  light  it  may  be.  Oue  of  the 
secrets  of  civilization  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  in- 
troduced variety  into  life.  This  is  what  organiza- 
tion, government  brings.  This  is  the  real  attraction 
of  the  city,  and  only  he  who  can  draw  variety  and 
appropriate  the  diversity  of  its  privileges  profits  by 
city  life.  Failing  this,  the  awful  humdrum,  the  very 
noise  of  the  city  crushes  the  soid.  The  church  right- 
14 


210  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

ly  oonoeived,  the  Sunday  properly  used,  the  club, 
books,  now  a  novel,  now  a  poem,  now  history,  anon 
biography,  put  within  the  reach  of  the  poorest,  are  re- 
newing forces, — they  are  reconstructing  resources. 

"  Why  do  you  give  so  much  time  to  the  study  of 
those  lessons  that  you  have  been  teaching  all  your 
life,"  asked  an  unsuccessful  teacher  of  the  great 
schoolmaster,  Arnold  of  Eugby.  "  Because  I  prefer 
to  teach  from  a  living  stream  rather  than  from  a 
stagnant  pool,"  was  the  reply. 

Botanists  tell  us  that  when  the  tree  ceases  to  make 
new  wood  it  begins  to  die.  Indeed,  the  only  real  live 
part  of  our  Northern  trees  is  the  part  just  under  the 
bark.  It  may  be  even  rotten  and  hollow  on  the  in- 
side, so  long  as  the  sap  courses  vigorously  on  the  ex- 
terior the  tree  lives,  grows,  and  is  young.  So  the 
mind  begins  to  die  when  it  loses  its  appetite  for 
things  new,  when  the  heavenly  hunger  for  variety 
ceases.  This  quest  for  truth  and  beauty,  this  itching 
for  new  experiences,  this  passion  for  fresh  field,  is  not 
only  the  spice  of  life,  but  it  is  life  itseK.  There  is 
nothing  more  restful  than  plenty  of  work  in  which 
the  heart  delights.  If  you  would  renew  your  youth, 
multiply  your  concerns  in  the  world.  Have  you  a 
sorrow  that  is  hard  to  bear?  Match  it  with  a  new 
duty  that  is  a  joy  to  perform.  Does  your  vocation 
begin  to  drain  you  of  your  vitality?  Match  it  with 
an  avocation  that  will  renew  your  vitality.     Are  you 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  211 

pressed  for  work-time?     All  the  more  do  you  need 
an  itch  for  pastime. 

This  principle  of  variety  as  well  as  the  principle  of 
simplicity  enables  us  to  realize  that  few  men  die  of 
overwork.  Stagnation,  not  exertion,  is  the  short  road 
to  senility.  Whenever  the  soul  recoils  from  a  new 
enthusiasm,  is  distrustful  of  new  thought,  and  shrinks 
from  new  opportunities,  and  turns  aside  from  fresh 
possibilities;  Avhenever  a  soul  takes  council  of  its  dis- 
couragements, piles  up  its  difficulties  and  deals  in  the 
argument  of  despondency ;  when  any  man  argues  from 
the  past,  hopelessness  in  regard  to  the  future,  and 
blindly  insists  on  measuring  the  next  year  by  the  de- 
feats of  the  last  year;  when  he  clinches  his  argu- 
ments with  the  "  It  has  been  tried  and  it  failed,  conse- 
quently there  is  no  more  use  in  trying,"  that  man  is 
old,  tho  his  beard  is  not  yet  grown.  All  around  us 
we  find  these  old  young  men  and  old  young  women 
who  have  already  entered  into  the  decrepitude  of 
gray  hairs  with  no  gray  hairs  to  apologize  for  their 
nervelessness  or  to  console  them  in  their  timidity  and 
torpidity.  Heaven  save  us  from  this  paralysis  of 
youth,  this  palsy  of  listlessness.  There  is  something 
magnificent  in  the  thought  of  Michelangelo  at  sixty 
years  of  age  turning  from  the  sculptor's  inspiration  to 
the  painter's  task;  and  after  having  won  a  second  im- 
mortality as  painter,  at  eighty  taking  up  the  still  more 
difficult  work  of  an  architect  and  crowning  his  young 


212  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

life  at  ninety  with  tlie  Dome  of  St.  Peter.  Angelo, 
in  this  respect  at  least,  is  the  type  of  an  increasing 
class.  Witness  the  splendid  youths  of  the  generation 
not  yet  wholly  gone, — Pope  Leo,  James  Martineau, 
Gladstone,  and  their  splendid  peers  who  have  carried 
their  youth  well  on  toward  and  into  the  nineties. 

The  name  of  Angelo  suggests  the  third  rejuvenating 
principle,  perhaps  the  most  nearly  perennial  spring 
from  which  human  lips  may  quaff, — the  fountain  of 
love.  In  sympathy  and  affection  does  the  soul  find  its 
renewing  baths.  Happily  this  point  is  so  easily  demon- 
strated that  it  needs  no  theoretic  argument.  Michel- 
angelo at  seventy,  at  a  time  when  most  men  begin  to 
think  of  the  grave,  found  his  life  renewing  itself  in 
a  great  love,  and  he  who  was  already  in  the  way  of 
preeminence  as  sculptor,  painter,  and  architect  became 
also  immortal  as  a  poet,  through  the  inspiration  that 
broke  upon  him  in  the  face  of  the  pure  and  high  Vit- 
toria  Colonna.     He  verified  his  great  lines : 

"Perhaps  on  both  of  us  long  life  can  I, 
Either  in  color  or  in  stone  bestow 
By  now  portraying  each  in  look  and  mien  ; 
So  that  a  thousand  years  after  we  die, 
How  fair  thou  wast,  and  I  how  full  of  wo. 
And  wherefore  I  so  loved  thee,  may  be  seen.  " 

Elizabeth  Barrett,  the  poor  bed-ridden  invalid,  al- 
ready waiting  and  wooing  death,  touched  with  her 
lips  the  cup  that  contained  the  draft  of  love,  and  lo ! 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  213 

"The  face  of  all  tlie  world  was  changed. 

And  I  who  thought  to  sink, 
Was  caught  up  into  love, 
And  taught  the  whole 
Of  life  in  a  new  rhythm.  " 

She  found  the  youth  that  gave  to  the  world  the  Eliza- 
beth Barrett  Browning,  known  and  loved  and  revered 
wherever  the  English  tongue  is  spoken.  She  found 
the  life  that  not  only  rejuvenated  her  own  soul,  but 
has  been  spreading  in  rejuvenating  ways  through 
thousands  and  thousands  of  human  souls  that  are 
made  young  by  and  through  her  love.  We  can  all 
testify  to  this  recreating  miracle.  Have  we  not 
known  those  who  have  talked  of  "finished  lives,"  of 
"  closed  accounts, "  of  "  diminishing  usefulness  "  sud- 
denly caught  up  by  a  reforming  impulse ;  a  radiance 
conies  into  the  face,  song  touches  the  voice,  and  life 
begins  again  with  greatening  hopes  and  enlarging 
plans.  Their  lips  have  indeed  touched  the  veritable 
fountain  of  youth  and  it  has  given  them  a  new  lease 
upon  life.  It  is  well  that  this  renewing  love  should 
find  its  crowning  vindication  in  that  love  most  akin 
to  the  divine  love,  the  passion  that  binds  men  and 
women  together.     Says  Longfellow : 

"  Each  hath  his  ideal, 
The  image  of  souae  woman  excellent, 
That  is  his  guide.  " 


214  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

And  says  Browning : 

"  There  is  a  vision  in  the  heart  of  each 
Of  justice,  mercy,  wisdom,  tenderness 
To  wrong  and  pain,  and  knowledge  of  its  cure, 
And  these,  embodied  in  a  woman's  form 
That  best  transmits  them,  pure  as  when  first  received. 
From  God  above  her,  to  mankind  below.  " 

But  this  concrete  embodiment  is  a  demonstration 
of  a  principle  tliat  is  universal.  Mrs.  Browning, 
again,  through  love,  touched  the  deeper  meaning  of 
love  when  she  sung : 

"There's  nothing  low  in  love. 
When  love  the  lowest,  meanest 
Creatures  who  love  God,  God 
Accepts  while  loving  so. 
And  what  I  feel,  across  the  inferior  features 
Of  what  I  am,  doth  flash  itself,  and  show 
How  that  great  work  of  Love  enhances  Nature's.  " 

Out  of  these  lowly  loves  grow  the  divine  loves  that 
bring  the  sympathies  to  all  sentient  things,  an  appre- 
ciation of  all  the  marvels  of  creation,  and  the  heal- 
ing love  that  brings  that  reverence  which  the  poet 
says  is 

"  The  best  food  that  souls  can  feed  on.  " 

The  love  that  begins  in  and  for  one  must  open  out 
and  spread,  or  the  stream  turned  in  upon  itself  poisons 
and  embitters  the  heart  it  once  sweetened.  The  pas- 
sion of  courtship,  which  is  an  ellipse  drawn  around 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  215 

two  foci,  the  youth  and  the  maiden,  making  them 
blind  to  all  others  and  oblivious  to  all  else,  must  needs 
be  rounded  out  into  a  circle,  ever  increasing.  This 
dual  life  must  radiate  from  a  common  and  an  uncon- 
scious center,  if  it  is  to  keep  ever  young.  The  honey- 
moon season,  if  it  is  to  continue,  must  turn  from  the 
moon,  the  *' month-measurer,"  and  fix  its  orbit  around 
the  central  sun.  Moonshine  must  give  way  to  sun- 
shine, and  the  joy  in  each  other  must  be  emphasized 
and  fed  by  the  joy  in  and  for  others,  if  it  is  to  last. 
Love  must  breed  openness.  It  must  delight  in  that 
frankness  which  makes  old  age  lovely,  without  which 
domestic  love  becomes  loathsome.  The  love  of  one 
must  be  deepened,  mellowed,  and  broadened  into  the 
love  for  all,  if  it  is  to  become  a  Siloam  pool  disturbed 
by  angel  steps  and  which,  when  thus  troubled,  quick- 
ens all  those  who  step  therein. 

"  They  sleep  not  whom  God  needs, " 

says  the  poet,  neither  do  they  grow  old  who  feel  the 
greatness  of  His  love  glinting  in  the  crystal,  blushing 
in  the  rose,  trembling  in  the  song  of  the  bird,  grow- 
ing sacred  in  the  baby  smile,  quickening  in  the  strug- 
gles of  men  and  women,  and  commanding  in  the  cry 
of  the  downtrodden.  The  best  symbol  of  the  love 
that  brings  perennial  youth  is  the  love  that  rose 
through  the  love  of  the  few  to  the  love  of  the  many, 
and  opened  its  arms  on  the  cross  to  a  waiting  and 


216  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

suffering  world.  The  true  scientists  like  Humboldt, 
Agassiz,  and  Darwin  never  grow  old.  Their  last  work 
is  ever  the  best.  The  artist  loses  his  art  when  his 
heart  ceases  to  be  young,  and  the  lover  ceases  to  love 
if  he  does  not  grow  into  a  philanthropist,  the  lover  of 
men.  It  is  this  love  that  brings  the  divine  youth 
foreshadowed  in  Swedenborg's  paradox  when  he  said, 
"  The  oldest  angels  are  the  youngest. "  He  who  would 
renew  his  youth  must  keep  the  connection  open  be- 
tween himself  and  his  fellows.  He  must  guard  well 
the  lines  of  sympathy  that  connect  his  heart  to  all 
human  hearts.  He  must  find  God' s  great  heart  puls- 
ing in  the  heart  of  humanity. 

The  saddest  "  crow-feet  marks  "  upon  the  face  are 
those  marked  upon  the  face  of  the  soul  that  begins  to 
hate,  distrust,  and  to  antagonize  the  good  in  this 
world.  Alas !  this  old  age  of  the  spirit  is  not  Avant- 
ing  in  illustrations.  How  sad  it  is  to  find  the  halting 
steps  in  the  movement  of  the  fearless  prophets,  and  to 
see  old  age  narrow  the  vision  and  embitter  the  words 
of  those  who  once  cheered  the  columns  onward,  as  the 
sad  story  of  Carlyle,  Euskin,  and  many  others  illus- 
trates. 

If  you  would  keep  young,  keep  close  to  the  young 
life  as  revealed  in  the  new  needs  of  the  world.  Let 
the  passing  generation  catch  the  rising  radiance  of  the 
coming,  if  they  would  know  the  mellowness  that  made 
martial  and  musical  the  declining  years  of  Longfel- 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  217 

low,  Emerson,  Whittier,  Browning,  and  their  fellows. 
Some  one  has  said,  "  God  is  reconciling  a  wicked  world 
to  Himself  in  every  new-born  babe,"  and  he  who  turns 
away  from  the  newer  generation,  the  baby  thoughts, 
the  fresh  problems,  the  new  schemes  that  to-day  are 
cradled  in  despised  mangers,  but  are  destined  some 
day  to  move  the  world  with  conquering  power,  turns 
away  from  God's  Messiahs,  the  anointed  of  the  Most 
High.  He  refuses  that  which  satisfieth  the  soul  with 
good  things  and  reneweth  his  wings  like  an  eagle. 

No,  my  hearers,  the  fountain  of  perennial  youth  is 
not  wholly  fabulous.  There  is  an  elixir  of  life  that 
makes  young  and  keeps  young;  but  this  is  found  not 
in  space  nor  in  time,  but  within  the  soul  itself.  In 
love  and  truth  lie  the  boundaries  of  the  eternal  king- 
dom. The  dead  are  not  all  encoffined.  Alas!  they 
inake  ghastly  the  walks  of  life.  The  dead  stalk 
through  our  streets.  The  dead  sit  in  our  churches; 
they  hang  like  millstones  upon  the  neck  of  society; 
they  fetter  the  government;  they  chill  the  home. 
While,  on  the  other  hand,  the  buried  live,  even  the 
forgotten  survive.  Those  we  deem  dead  are  always 
the  most  alive.  The  only  immortals  are  they  who 
have  passed  through  that  humble  doorway  we  call  the 
tomb  into  perennial  youth. 

But  simplicity,  variety,  love,  however  valuable,  are 
accentuated,  brought  out  and  realized  as  renewing 
forces  only  when  they  enlist  in   the  service  of  con- 


218  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

science.  Duty  is  their  unerring  exponent.  The  life 
that  is  outpouring,  self-forgetting,  world-serving,  is 
the  only  life  that  can  keep  young,  perennial,  joyous. 
This  is  the  deathless  life.  Life  is  blithe  when  it 
trusts  the  right  and  obeys  the  promptings  of  duty. 
Life  is  renewed  when  it  invests  all  its  energies  not 
in  doing  its  own,  but  in  doing  the  will  of  God,  in 
trying  to  obey  the  high  exactions  of  the  Eternal. 
While,  on  the  other  hand,  the  soul  grows  old,  oh! 
so  fast;  when  it  becomes  self-conscious  and  self -cen- 
tered, when  it  grows  anxious  about  the  "  me "  and 
the  "mine"  of  it.  The  soul  grows  old  when  it 
enters  into  the  service  of  expediency.  Even  the  child 
is  old  when  it  is  morose.  Thus  studied  we  find  that 
old  age  is  not  a  thing  of  years;  it  is  a  thing  of  the 
smothered  heart,  of  the  covetous  life.  It  is  a  thing 
of  jealousy,  of  selfishness,  of  distrust.  The  miserable 
are  already  old.  We  are  old  when  we  are  conscious 
of  antagonisms,  difficulties,  hatreds,  and  differences. 
We  grow  promptly  old  in  the  service  of  Madam 
Grundy;  following  her  artificial  standards  the  soul 
grows  rheumatic. 

When  we  live  in  the  fear  or  in  the  envy  of  our 
neighbors,  the  paralysis  of  old  age  overtakes  us.  But 
when  we  live  in  the  fear  of  God,  in  the  consciousness 
of  His  beauty,  in  the  service  of  His  truth,  when  we 
are  free  citizens  in  the  realm  of  the  right,  we  are 
young,  the  the  birthday  be  fourscore  and  ten  years 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  219 

away.  "  Always  young  for  liberty, "  exclaimed  Chan- 
niug  when  a  great  crisis  found  liim  on  the  right  side. 
We  can  not  think  of  the  jjrophets  as  old.  The  heroes 
are  ever  young.  Those  who  have  invested  their  all 
in  the  cause  of  humanity  are  deathless  on  both  sides 
of  the  river  of  death.  They  live  not  only  as  members 
of  the  band  that  makes  glorious  the  fields  of  Heaven, 
but  they  live  in  their  "  sinewy  youth  "  on  earth  as  in 
Heaven.  They  live  as  shining  members  of  the  "  choir 
invisible,"  whose  music  is  the  gladness  of  the  world. 
They  live 

"  lu  minds  made  better  by  their  presence  :  live 
In  pulses  stirred  to  generosity, 
la  deeds  of  daring  rectitude,  in  scorn 
For  miserable  aims  that  end  with  self, 
In  thoughts  sublime  that  pierce  the  night  like  stars, 
And  with  their  mild  persistence  urge  man's  search 
To  vaster  issues. " 

I  recall  the  great  picture  and  the  profound  emo- 
tions that  came  to  me  when  I  first  stood  on  the  top  of 
the  Washington  monument,  that  mighty  obelisk  whose 
finger-point  pierces  the  heaven  five  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  above  the  ground,  higher  than^the  highest  pyra- 
mid— the  loftiest  structure,  I  believe,  reared  by  the 
hand  of  man  except  the  Eiifel  Tower  in  Paris.  From 
that  high  vantage-ground  I  looked  out  upon  that  truly 
noble  city,  the  splendid  capital  with  its  matchless 
dome  so  airy  and  symmetrical  that  it  seems  to  hang 


220  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

self -poised  in  air,  I  traced  the  avenues  which  with 
their  decorations  mark  the  heroic  age  of  our  country. 
I  noted  the  squares  dedicated  to  the  dauntless  Far- 
ragut,  MePherson  the  chivalric  knight  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  Thomas  the  patient  and  invin- 
cible. I  looked  down  upon  paths  that  were  once 
familiar  to  the  feet  of  Washington,  Lincoln,  and  Gar- 
field; halls  that  once  resounded  with  the  voices  of 
Webster,  Clay,  and  Sumner.  I  looked  out  on  the 
distant  forests  of  Virginia  whereon  freedom  was 
bought  at  such  a  price.  The  imagination  extended 
the  line  of  vision  westward  over  prairie  and  mountain, 
whither  the  star  of  empire  still  pursues  its  flight.  I 
foresaw  the  great  future  that  awaits  our  country, 
whose  destiny  was  being  clumsily  shaped  and  directed 
in  the  public  buildings  below  me.  They  seemed  like 
petty  hives,  tho  they  were  mighty  piles.  And,  spite 
of  partizan  strife  and  selfish  weakness,  my  heart 
went  out  in  respect  to  the  toilers  in  these  public 
buildings;  because  they  were  the  executors  of  the 
past,  the  administrators  of  the  present,  and  the  trus- 
tees of  the  future  of  our  great  country.  I  foresaw  the 
art  treasures  that  are  to  be  added  to  what  is  now  not 
an  insignificant  deposit.  From  that  high  point  of 
view  it  was  easy  to  believe  that  unspeakable  tri- 
umphs and  glories  are  in  the  future  of  our  country. 

But  when  my  eye  rested  on  the  national  cemetery 
over  across  the  Potomac,  in  the  beautiful  Lee  estate, 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS.  221 

and  I  thought  of  the  mute  eloquence  of  that  cenotaph 
that  surmounts  the  vault  thirty  feet  deep,  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  into  which  has  been 
gathered  the  bones  of  2,111  unknown  Union  soldiers 
from  the  battle-fields  of  Virginia,  bones  that  must 
forever  be  labeled  "  unknown, "  the  tears  came  to  my 
eyes  and  I  thought  of  4;liem  as  representing  the  most 
living  in  that  living  panorama.  The  2,111  soldiers, 
falsely  marked  "dead  and  unknown,"  were  the  most 
alive  of  all  the  lives  suggested  in  this  mighty  sweep 
of  eye  and  mightier  sweep  of  heart.  Would  that 
those  of  us  who  are  left  were  half  as  much  alive  as 
are  those  unnamed  heroes  whose  bones  lie  in  that 
indistinguishable  heap!  Would  that  we  were  living 
a  fraction  of  the  tiding  life  which  is  theirs  to-day! 
Would  that  we  were  doing  as  much  for  this  and 
the  next  generation  as  they  are  doing!  Would  that 
we  dying  mortals  could  be  as  sure  of  a  perennial 
youth  that  dies  not  as  they  are ! 

Botanists  tell  us  that  strongly  scented  plants  are 
of  longer  duration  than  those  destitute  of  smell. 

This  is  as  true  in  the  gardens  of  soul  as  in  the  gar- 
dens of  nature.  Lives  fragrant  with  helpfulness  en- 
dure. Those  wanting  in  the  aroma  of  love  die. 
Shutting  our  hearts  against  sympathy,  against  ten- 
derness, against  the  love  not  of  the  one  but  of  the 
all,  not  of  ours  but  of  everybody,  above  all  shutting 
our  hearts  to  duty  and  the  battles  it  involves,  we  shut 


222  LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

our  hearts  against  life;  denying  this  essence  a  place 
in  our  lives,  we  refuse  Heaven. 

Thus  we  see  that  "  he  who  is  satisfied  with  good 
things  does  renew  his  youth  like  the  eagle."  He 
borders  the  ways  of  earth  with  fragrant  mint;  he 
makes  beautiful  the  celestial  highways  with  his  pe- 
rennial youth.  While  he  who  fails  to  do  this  is  ever 
in  league  with  death,  and  is  dead  before  he  dies.  He 
chokes  the  garden  of  God  with  weeds.  Let  us  never 
forget,  friends,  that  all  is  weariness  and  disappoint- 
ment, waste  and  extravagance  that  does  not  keep  us 
young,  that  does  not  give  us  the  perpetual  youth 
which  makes  us  children  of  God,  "joint  heirs  with 
Christ"  in  His  kingdom.  J.  S.  Dwight,  the  Ameri- 
can poet,  did  but  echo  the  profound  truths  of  Hebrew 
psalmist  and  New-Testament  apostles  when  he  wrote : 

"  Sweet  is  the  pleasure 
Itself  can  not  spoil  1 
Is  not  true  leisure 
One  with  true  toil? 

Thou  that  wouldst  taste  it, 

Still  do  thy  best ; 
Use  it.  not  waste  it — 

Else  'tis  no  rest. 

Wouldst  behold  beauty 

Near  thee?  all  round? 
Only  hath  duty 

Such  a  sight  found. 


LIFE'S  RENEWALS. 

Rest  Is  not  quitting 

The  busy  career ; 
Rest  is  the  fitting 

Of  self  to  its  sphere. 

'Tis  the  brook's  motion, 
Clear  -without  strife, 

Fleeing  to  ocean 
After  its  life. 

Deeper  devotion 

Nowhere  hath  knelt ; 
Fuller  emotion 

Heart  never  felt. 

'Tis  loving  and  serving 
The  highest  and  best ; 

•Tis  onward  !  unswerving 
And  that  is  true  rest. " 


223 


THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST. 

By  Rev.   R.   G.  Jones,   D.D.,-  Utica,  N.   Y. 

"Behold  wise  men  from  the  east  came  to  Jerusalem  saying, 
Where  is  He  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews?  for  we  have  seen 
His  star  in  the  East  and  are  come  to  worship  Him. — Matt. 
ii.  1,  3. 

When"  about  to  leave  His  disciples  Jesus  said :  "  Lo, 
I  am  with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world. " 
We  are  very  glad  of  this,  for  so  great  is  the  world's 
need  of  Him,  and  so  well  fitted  for  that  need  is  Christ 
found  by  all  who  know  Him,  that  they  want  to  keep 
Him  here  all  the  time,  and,  what  is  very  singular,  we 
are  never  tired  of  talking  about  Him,  meditating  upon 
Him,  and  reading  or  hearing  of  Him. 

That  which  has  been  written  concerning  Him  is 
very  fragmentary,  but  it  is  written  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  excite  our  curiosity  and  cause  us  to  desire  to  know 
more,  or  at  least  understand  more  thoroughly,  what  is 
written.  His  birthday  seems  to  be  becoming  more  in- 
teresting and  influential  every  year,  causing  men  to  re- 
joice and  act  liberally  toward  each  other,  tho  it  is  un- 
certain what  day  or  year  His  birth  took  place.  How 
many  thousands  of  sermons  have  been  delivered  on 
224 


THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST.  225 

His  birth!  yet  the  subject  is  ever  new  and  interesting. 
How  many  thousands  have  been  looking  for  the  star 
that  led  the  Avise  men  to  Bethlehem !  but  the  church 
is  by  no  means  tired,  neither  is  the  question,  What 
was  that  star?  by  any  means  settled. 

It  is  singular  that  Balaam,  a  gentile  prophet,  should 
have  said  many  years  before  it  appeared:  "A  star 
shall  come  forth  out  of  Jacob  and  a  scepter  shall  rise 
out  of  Israel"  (Num.  xxiv.  17).  Fourteen  hundred 
years  after  that  men  came  from  his  country  to  seek 
the  King,  led  by  a  star.  Had  that  revelation  been 
preserved  in  the  school  of  the  Magi  so  long,  or  was  it 
reported  by  the  Jews  after  their  dispersion,  is  quite 
uncertain. 

The  question,  What  was  the  star?  has  been  asked 
thousands  of  times  and  answered  equally  as  often. 
Some  think  it  was  a  meteor,  some  that  it  was  a  comet. 
Some  think  it  was  a  conjunction  of  stars.  Ideler,  fol- 
lowing Sanclemente,  attempted  to  prove  that  there 
was  a  conjunction  of  stars  about  six  years  before  the 
Christian  era.  As  it  is  now  pretty  certain  that  Jesus 
was  born  about  four  years  before  the  Christian  era 
fixed  by  Dionysius  in  the  sixth  century,  it  is  not  im- 
possible but  that  the  wise  men  saw  a  conjunction  of 
stars  appearing  as  one,  but  it  is  quite  uncertain. 

Some  suppose  that  there  was  a  special  star  created 
for  that  purpose.  Others  think  that  it  was  the  Sheki- 
nah  or  glory  which  used  to  be  on  the  mercy-seat  and 
15 


226  THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST. 

which  Ezekiel  saw  leaving  the  temple,  and  that,  going 
to  the  mountain  east  of  the  city,  it  reappeared  as  a  star 
at  that  time.  In  such  a  state  of  uncertainty,  there 
maybe  room  for  another  conjecture:  that  the  star 
was  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  He  calls  Himself  the 
bright  and  morning  star.  It  is  no  more  unnatural 
to  think  of  Him  appearing  as  a  star  than  to  think  of 
Him  appearing  as  a  man  to  Abraham,  a  ladder  to 
Jacob,  fire  in  a  bush  to  Moses,  and  a  soldier  with  a 
naked  sword  to  Joshua.  The  star  was  evidently 
some  manifestation  closely  connected  with  the  incar- 
nation of  the  Son  of  God.  When  we  remember  that 
He  was  the  Sun  of  the  Universe,  it  is  evident  that  He 
had  to  hide  a  great  part  of  His  light  to  become  a  star. 
But  that  was  no  more  difficult  than  to  hide  the  glory 
which  He  had  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  to  take 
upon  Him  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh.  Taking  for 
granted  without  asserting  that  the  star  was  Christ,  I 
would  say : 

1.  It  rose  earlier  than  any  other  star  in  the  uni- 
verse. We  have  no  idea  how  early  the  morning 
stars  which  sang  together  at  the  laying  down  of  the 
foundation  of  the  earth  arise.  But  this  one's  going 
forth  was  from  the  ages  of  eternity.  He  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  creation  of  God,  the  first-born  of  every 
creature.  He  was  before  all  things.  Through  Him 
were  all  things  created,  and  without  Him  was  nothing 
made  that  was  made.     He  describes  Himself  in  the 


THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST.  227 

eighth  chapter  of  Proverbs,  "  The  Lord  possessed  me 
in  the  beginuing  of  His  way,  before  Ilis  works  of  old. 
I  was  set  up  from  the  beginning,  from  everlasting,  or 
ever  the  earth  was."  However  uncertain  we  may  feel 
regarding  the  age  of  the  earth  or  the  angels,  we  may 
venture  to  say  that  the  star  of  Bethlehem  is  the  oldest 
in  the  universe. 

2.  It  kept  its  course  through  the  ages  toward  our 
world.  All  the  stars  have  their  revolutions,  however 
large  their  cycles  may  be ;  they  have  their  turn  in  the 
course  of  ages  j  but  this  one  has  been  traveling  from 
the  dsija  of  eternity  in  a  straight  course  to  our  earth, 
rejoicing  in  the  habitations  of  earth  and  delighting 
in  the  sons  of  men.  Great  as  were  the  difficulties 
and  oppositions  to  be  encountered,  he  said,  "  Kepen- 
tance  is  hid  from  me.  I  will  not  turn  back.  Lo,  I 
come  in  the  volume  of  the  book ;  it  is  written  of  me 
to  do  Thy  will,  0  my  God !  " 

It  is  a  surprising  history,  when  we  consider  the 
length  of  time.  From  the  beginning,  before  the  earth 
was.  The  great  distance  from  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  the  likeness  of  God  to  the  likeness  of  man, 
the  form  of  a  servant.  The  wonderful  contrast. 
From  the  wealth,  glory,  and  happiness  of  heaven  to 
the  poverty,  degradation,  and  misery  of  earth. 

3.  It  produced  a  disturbing  influence  on  everything 
in  the  universe  throughout  the  ages.  The  old  astron- 
omers, whose  glasses  were  not  as  powerful  as  modem 


228  THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST. 

telescopes,  were  able  by  their  calculations  to  say  that 
there  was  a  star,  to  them  invisible,  here  and  there 
causing  some  disturbing  influence  among  the  stars 
they  saw.  Modern  telescopes  have  proved  they  were 
right.  So  with  the  star  of  Bethlehem :  God  seems  to 
have  rested  for  countless  ages  without  creating  any- 
thing. But  ever  since  the  introduction  of  the  "  Eirst- 
born  of  every  creature,"  "the  right  image  of  His 
person, "  He  seems  to  have  been  so  delighted  with  Him 
that  He  sought  every  opportunity  by  creation,  susten- 
tation,  and  redemption  to  reveal  Him. 

Tho  it  is  beyond  our  ability  to  explain  or  even  com- 
prehend the  meaning  of  Paul  when  he  calls  Christ 
the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  first-born  of  all 
creation,  yet  it  is  natural  to  try  and  get  some  idea 
what  he  means. 

When  God  determined  to  call  into  existence  finite 
creatures,  it  became  necessary  for  Him  to  get  some 
medium  of  communication  between  Himself,  the  In- 
finite, and  all  created  beings  who  could  be  only 
finite. 

Therefore  we  have  an  image  of  Himself.  An  exact 
likeness,  yet  perceptible  to  finite  beings.  This  image 
is  called  here  the  first-born  of  every  creature.  Does 
this  mean  a  reality,  or  is  it  a  comparison?  If  real,  it 
would  indicate  that  the  Second  Person  in  the  Blessed 
Trinity  took  into  union  with  Himself  a  created  form 
through  which  He  always  manifested  Himself  till  He 


THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST.  229 

became  flesh  and  assumed  our  nature.  I  have  thought 
for  years  that  such  a  theory,  could  it  be  proved,  would 
solve  many  mysteries  concerning  the  person  of  Christ 
as  the  Mediator.  But  it  would  probably  only  remove 
the  difficulty  a  little  farther.  "We  see  clearly  how 
such  a  created  nature  would  be  a  convenient  medium 
of  communication  between  the  Absolute  and  all  finite 
beings.  But  the  question  arises,  How  could  such  a 
created  nature  hold  converse  with  and  comprehend 
the  incomprehensible  and  infinite?  Should  this  be 
rejected,  it  arises  again  to  trouble  us :  How  did  the 
human  nature  of  Christ  become  capable  of  seeing  and 
revealing  the  Father?  We  must  give  it  up.  The 
next  verse  seems  to  divide  this  first-born  from  every 
created  thing,  inasmuch  as  everything  created  was 
made  by  Him ;  therefore,  He  Himself  seems  to  have 
been  uncreated. 

The  saying,  first-born  of  every  creature,  must  then 
be  a  comparison  indicating  that  the  Second  Person  un- 
derwent some  change  to  fit  Himself  to  be  a  creator  and 
medium  of  communication  with  creatures  as  if  He  had 
been  a  creature.  If  asked  how  could  this  be,  I  freely 
confess  I  know  not,  neither  do  I  know  how  the  Word 
was  made  flesh. 

We  find  something  similar  in  other  parts  of  the 
New  Testament.  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me.  How 
could  an  Infinite  Being  be  sent  anywhere?  Who, 
being  in  the  form  of  God,  humbled  Himself,  taking 


230  THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST. 

the  form  of  a  servant.  He  being  rich,  became  poor. 
How,  we  know  not.  We  have  only  to  accept  these 
wonderful  declarations  without  trying  to  explain  or 
even  comprehend  them.  So  here  we  know  not  what 
occurred  or  how  or  when  he  became  the  first-born  of 
every  creature.  John  has  perhaps  thrown  some  light 
on  this,  if  we  are  sure  that  we  understand  him. 

The  Word  was  with  God  and  was  God.  Yea,  even 
when  creating  all  things  and  still  further  when  becom- 
ing flesh.  This  leads  me  to  think  that  the  idea  of 
Christ's  sonship  is  also  a  comparison  to  help  us  to 
perceive  the  greatness  of  the  love  that  exists  between 
the  Divine  Persons,  and  the  greatness  of  the  sacrifice 
they  made  when  separating  themselves  from  each 
other  to  effect  the  plan  of  salvation.  The  idea  of 
Father  and  Son  and  eternal  equality  has  been  a  great 
stumbling-block  to  many  minds,  and  seems  to  be  a  con- 
tradiction in  terms,  which  seems  to  be  removed  by  the 
idea  that  the  term  Son  has  been  borrowed  from  human 
experience  for  our  edification.  The  love  of  the  Divine 
Persons  for  each  other  remains,  and  their  equality 
seems  less  clouded.  Many  comparisons  are  used  in 
Scripture  to  describe  God  which  we  do  not  take  liter- 
ally. His  hands,  feet,  mouth,  face,  back,  are  used  to 
help  us  to  have  some  idea  of  Him.  Why  not  also 
Sonship  and  Pather  be  taken  as  comparisons  of  the 
utmost  love  and  tenderness? 

To   come    to    something    we    understand    better: 


THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST.  231 

When  man  was  created  God  said:  "  In  the  day  thou 
eatest  thereof,  [dying]  thou  shalt  die." 

Man  did  eat  and  thus  transgressed  the  law  of  God. 
Justice  and  truth  demanded  that  He  should  be  in- 
stantly put  to  death.  But  He  did  not  die;  He  was 
told  to  be  fruitful,  multiply,  and  lill  the  earth.  Why? 
The  star  of  Bethlehem  approached  and  caused  a  prom- 
ise to  be  given,  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  shall 
bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent.  It  was  not  very  clear, 
but  it  enabled  Mercy  to  spare  the  condemned  criminal. 

Again  we  are  told :  "  By  the  deeds  of  the  law  shall 
no  man  be  justified,  and  without  the  shedding  of  blood 
there  is  no  remission. "  Yet  we  see  many  of  the  sinful 
seed  of  Adam,  after  living  very  imperfectly,  going  to 
heaven.  But  the  star  was  there  saying,  "  Lo,  I  come. 
The  sacrifices  are  insufficient  to  take  away  sins;  thou 
Last  prepared  for  me  a  body,  and  in  the  fulness  of 
time  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  shall  be  made 
perfect  through  suffering."  Thus,  tho  invisible,  its 
existence  was  known  to  the  ancient  prophets  who  dili- 
gently searched  and  inc^uired  what  manner  of  time 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  that  was  in  tliem  did  signify,  when 
it  made  known  to  them  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and 
the  glory  that  should  follow  (1  Peter  i.  10). 

4.  It  gave  signs  of  its  approach  as  the  ages  rolled 
on.  Noah  said  it  would  appear  in  the  family  of 
Shem.  Jacob  pointed  out  the  tribe  of  Judah.  The 
Psalmist  mentioned  the  royal  family  of  David,  and 


232  THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST. 

Micah.  named  Bethlehem  as  the  place  where  it  would 
appear.  Thus  men  had  sufficient  time  and  warning 
so  as  to  turn  their  eyes  and  hearts  to  know  it  when  it 
came  in  sight. 

5.  It  was  discovered  by  the  Gentiles.  It  might 
have  been  expected  that  Israel,  after  all  their  training 
and  teaching,  would  be  the  first  to  know  their  star 
when  it  would  rise  above  the  horizon,  aad  acknowledge 
their  King  when  He  came.  But  the  great  honor  of 
being  the  first  discoverers  was  reserved  to  the  Gentiles, 
who  were  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 
strangers  from  the  covenant  of  promise,  without  hope 
and  without  God  in  the  world. 

Balaam,  a  Gentile  prophet,  pointed  out  its  course 
fifteen  hundred  years  before  it  came  in  sight :  "  A  star 
out  of  Jacob  " ;  and  it  was  Magi  from  the  East  that 
first  saw  the  star  over  the  land  of  Judea  and  perceived 
that  it  was  the  star  of  the  King  that  was  born  to  rule 
the  Jews  and  save  the  world.  It  seems  they  had 
seen  it  for  nearly  two  years  before  they  reached  «Teru- 
salem,  and  they  saw  it  between  Jerusalem  and  Beth- 
lehem. 

Is  it  not  singular  that  the  inhabitants  of  Judea  did 
not  see  that  wonderful  star,  or  rather,  as  they  must 
have  seen  it,  they  did  not  learn  its  lesson  ?  There  is 
no  hint  given  that  any  of  them  did.  Were  their 
thoughts  too  earthly?  Were  they  always  looking 
toward  earth  as  the  swine  under  the  oak  devouring 


THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST.  233 

the  acorns  and  enjoying  them,  but  never  looking  up 
to  see  whence  they  came?  How  many  men  are 
enjoying  the  good  things  of  earth,  but  never  think- 
ing that  all  good  and  perfect  gifts  come  from  heaven! 
The  Jews  expected  an  earthly  king  to  be  the  Messiah, 
and  therefore  never  turned  to  look  toward  heaven 
for  him.  Or  was  there  judicial  blindness,  that  they 
saw  nothing  in  that  bright  star  which  showed  the 
Gentiles  that  the  King  of  the  Jews  had  been  born? 

6.  Leading  to  worship  Him.  The  Avise  men  said, 
"  We  have  come  to  worship  Him. "  The  fact  of  finding 
a  child  a  few  months  or  a  year  old  in  the  arms  of  a 
poor  mother  did  not  prevent  those  wonderful  men  from 
worshiping  Him  and  opening  their  treasures  to  enrich 
Him  to  the  full  extent  of  their  ability  to  enable  Him 
to  flee  to  Egypt  from  the  wrath  of  Herod. 

How  will  many  hearers  of  the  Gospel  meet  these 
men  in  the  day  of  Judgment?  They  know  His  won- 
derful history,  His  great  sacrifice  on  Calvary,  and  His 
great  glory  as  well  as  the  benefit  He  is  to  the  world, 
yet  never  worship  Him  nor  give  any  help  to  carry  on 
His  work  on  earth.  What  Avonder  if  He  will  say  to 
them,  "  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed  "  ? 

7.  The  star  has  become  again  a  sun.  The  prophet 
of  old  saw  that  such  would  be  the  case.  The  land  of 
Zebulon  and  Naphtali,  toward  the  sea,  beyond  the  Jor- 
dan, Galilee  of  the  Gentiles, — the  people  which  sat 
in  darkness,  saw  a  great  light  (Isa.  ix.  1,  2). 


234     THE  STAR  SEEN  IN  THE  EAST. 

Zecharias  saw  that  it  would  be  a  sun.  Blessed  be 
God  who  hath  visited  us  with  dayspring  (sun)  from 
above  (Luke  i.  78), 

Jesus  Himself  said :  "  While  I  am  in  the  world  I 
am  the  light  of  the  world."  So  great  is  His  light 
that  He  makes  such  dark  bodies  as  men  to  be  the 
Light  of  the  world.  John  tells  us  of  the  present 
home  of  Jesus  and  our  future  home.  "  The  city  has 
no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to  shine  in  it, 
for  the  glory  of  God  did  brighten  it  and  the  Lamb  is 
the  light  thereof,  and  the  nations  of  them  that  are 
saved  shall  walk  in  the  light  thereof  "  (Rev.  xxi.  23, 
24). 

It  is  very  sad  to  think  of  Herod  and  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Judea  living  under  the  light  of  the  star 
and  learning  nothing  from  it.  But  sadder  still  those 
who  live  in  the  light  of  the  Gospel  and  not  learning  its 
lessons.  "  Many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  from 
the  West,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac 
and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  the  children 
of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  forth  into  outer  dark- 
ness; there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth" 
(Math.  viii.  11-13).  The  Magi  worshiped;  Herod 
and  Hie  court  persecuted;  heathen  believe  in  these 
days  and  enter  the  kingdom  by  thousands.  The 
hearers  of  the  Gospel  harden  their  hearts  and  refuse 
to  repent  and  believe. 


THE   ORDINATION   OF  THE  TWELVE 
APOSTLES, 

By  Kkv.  R.   S.   Joxks,  D.D.;   Soranton,  Pa. 

"And  He  ordained  twelve,  that  they  should  be  with  Him, 
and  that  He  might  send  them  forth  to  preach,  and  to  have 
power  to  heal  sicknesses,  and  to  cast  out  devils.  "—Mark  iii. 
14,  15. 

J.    The  Buried  Talent  of  a  Community/. 
How  much  buried  talent  may  be  found  among  the 
laboring   classes  of   any  community  in  any   age   or 
country?     Who  would  expect  to  find  a  Moses  among 
the  enslaved  of  Egypt,  placed  in  a  cradle  among  the 
bulrushes  of  a  great  river,  in  danger  of  being  swept 
away    or   being   devoured?      Who   would   expect   to 
find  a  Daniel  and  his  three  companions  among  the 
captives  of  Babylon,  or  the  Twelve  Apostles  among 
the  fishermen  and    their   like   from    Galilee?     Who 
would  expect  a  Martin  Luther  in  a  poor  miner's  hut 
in  Germany,   or  Jesus   Christ  the   Messiah   of  the 
world  at  His  bench  in  a  carpenter's  shop  in  Naza- 
reth?   There  appears  to  be  enough  of  buried  talent  in 
every  community,  of  every  age  and  nation,  to  perform 
the  work   and   duty  of  that  commimity  thoroughlj- 

285 


236  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

and  successfully,  if  it  can  only  be  found,  equipped, 
and  directed  aright.  There  is  enough  work  to  be 
done  in  every  community  and  every  age  for  the  great- 
est amount  of  talent  that  can  be  found.  Undoubtedly 
God  expects  every  community  and  age  to  do  its  own 
work  thoroughly  and  efficiently.  If  these  buried  tal- 
ents could  be  found  as  Jesus  found  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles among  the  common  people  of  Galilee,  every 
generation  would  have  done  its  duty  and  every  age 
have  proclaimed  the  glad  tidings  of  God's  Kingdom 
throughout  the  whole  world.  Let  us  take  these 
Twelve  Apostles  as  an  ilkistration  of  buried  talent 
that  can  be  found  in  any  community  of  common  work- 
ing people  in  every  age  and  nation. 

//.    The  Discovert/  of  this  Buried  Talent. 

He  who  discovers  and  makes  use  of  the  buried 
talent  of  a  community  renders  one  of  the  greatest  ser- 
vices possible,  not  only  to  that  age  or  community,  but 
to  all  subsequent  ages.  Who  can  estimate  the  value 
of  the  service  rendered  by  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh 
to  all  mankind  in  the  discovery  of  Moses  and  in  his 
bringing  up?  Who  can  value  the  service  rendered  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  in  the  court  training  given  to  Daniel 
and  his  three  companions?  Who  can  estimate  the 
valuable  service  rendered  by  Jesus  Christ  to  the  ages 
of  the  world  in  calling  and  training  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles?    I  once  heard  of  a  very  quaint  old  teacher  who 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  237 

lived  in  Germany  a  great  many  years  ago,  who,  upon 
meeting  his  school  children  in  the  morning,  would  al- 
ways salute  them  very  reverently  by  taking  off  his  hat 
and  making  an  old-fashioned  bow  to  them.  On  being 
asked  why  he  did  so  he  replied,  "  Because  I  do  not 
know  who  may  be  among  these  common  school  chil- 
dren. "  And  right  he  was,  for  Martin  Luther,  one  of 
the  greatest  reformers  of  the  world,  was  at  that  time 
a  small  boy  and  one  of  those  very  children.  The 
parents  of  any  family,  or  the  teacher  of  any  Sunday- 
school  class,  do  not  always  know  who  might  be  among 
their  children,  but  each  of  them  should  try  to  discover 
what  talent  may  be  there  to  make  use  of  it  aright. 
No  one  can  serve  his  generation  better  than  by  discov- 
ering and  training  the  buried  talent  which  may  come 
under  his  charge. 

III.    The  Divine  Providence  hi  the  Discovery  of  this 
Buried  Talent. 

It  is  by  the  help  of  God  that  the  buried  talents  of 
a  community  can  be  found  and  trained  aright.  This 
is  the  idea  in  the  remark  of  Luke  (vi.  12) :  "  And  it 
came  to  pass  in  those  days  that  he  went  out  into  a 
mountain  to  pray,  and  continued  all  night  in  prayer 
to  God."  Evidently  Jesus  realized  thoroughly  the 
vital  connection  which  exists  between  prayer  and 
work.  They  are  ''what  God  hath  joined  together 
and  we  ought  not  to  put  them  asunder. "     He  under- 


238  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

stood  thoroughly  that  by  special  prayer  it  was  pos- 
sible for  Him  to  discover  and  select  the  special  talent 
which  He  needed  from  that  community  to  be  His 
Apostles.  He  knew  also  that  by  prayer  it  was  pos- 
sible for  Him  to  find  the  proper  work  and  sphere  of 
labor  for  these  buried  talents  which  were  found  in  His 
disciples.  He  knew  also  that  by  prayer  He  could 
secure  the  encouragement,  the  sustenance,  and  the  di- 
vine aid  which  He  needed  to  do  His  special  work  in 
the  ordination  of  the  twelve  upon  the  following  day. 
This  is  evidently  the  proper  way  for  every  one  of  His 
disciples  to  do  His  work  every  day.  It  was  by  the 
force  and  direction  of  a  special  divine  Providence, 
secured  by  special  prayer,  that  Christ  called  and  or- 
dained these  Twelve  Apostles,  and  I  am  confident  that 
it  is  too  much  of  a  presumption  upon  our  part  to  at- 
tempt to  do  anything  without  securing  divine  aid  by 
special  prayer  when  Christ  Himself  did  not  dare 
do  so. 

IV.    The   Ordination. 

We  find  the  list  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  in  the  fol- 
lowing verses,  16-19.  We  do  not  know  whether  or 
not  Jesus  used  an  outward  formality  in  the  laying 
on  of  hands,  offering  a  special  prayer,  on  this  occa- 
sion. There  is  nothing  recorded,  except  the  charge, 
and  it  is  the  most  excellent  charge  in  existence.  In 
Matthew  x.  we  find  the  charge  given  in  full ;  who  else 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  239 

is  there  that  could  have  given  it  as  well?  He  was  one 
of  them.  This  ordination  and  charge  were  all  the  au- 
thority given  to  them  thus  far.  AValter  Scott  relates 
somewhere  of  a  beautiful  custom  in  old  Scotland  of 
assembling  the  clans  together  by  means  of  a  fiery 
cross.  They  had  a  light  cross  of  wood  charred  at  one 
end,  the  flames  of  which  were  extinguished  by  the 
blood  of  a  goat,  and  this  was  sent  from  family  to 
family,  and  village  to  village  among  the  clan,  each 
one  into  whose  hand  it  came  being  responsible  for  the 
sending  of  it  to  his  nearest  neighbor.  The  date  of  the 
meeting  only  was  inscribed  on  the  cross,  but  each  in- 
dividual understood  its  meaning — that  he  was  bound 
under  the  strongest  anathemas  to  obey  the  sign.  The 
Twelve  Apostles  received  their  authority  from  such  a 
cross — the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  which  was 
charred  by  His  suffering  and  extinguished  by  His 
blood.  After  receiving  the  cross,  they  received  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  gave  them  addi- 
tional authority.  These,  then,  constituted  the  au- 
thority of  the  Twelve  Apostles:  1.  Their  ordination 
and  charge.  2.  The  Cross  of  Jesus  Christ.  3.  The 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  are  the  essential 
authority  and  power  of  the  Gospel.  When  these  or 
any  of  them  are  turned  aside,  and  some  other  substi- 
tuted, be  it  a  scheme  ever  so  scholarly  or  philosoph- 
ical, we  make  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  of  none 
effect.     As  we  adhere  the  more  closely  and  simply  to 


240  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

these  essential  elements  of  power  and  authority  in  the 
Gospel  do  we  make  it  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion to  all  those  who  believe. 

V.    Their  Number. 

These  ordained  men  were  twelve  in  number.  Is 
there  not  something  of  especial  interest  in  this  num- 
ber twelve?  We  know  the  people  of  ancient  times 
were  accustomed  to  find  much  significance  in  certain 
numbers.  The  Old  and  New  Testaments  make  a 
great  use  of  this  number  twelve,  viz.  :  The  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel;  the  twelve  wells  of  the  Elim; 
twelve  stones  in  the  high  priest's  breast-plate;  the 
twelve  loaves  of  shew-bread  in  the  Tabernacle;  the 
twelve  Patriarchs;  the  twelve  Apostles;  the  twelve 
foundation-stones ;  the  twelve  gates ;  the  twelve  angels, 
and  so  on;  and  in  Kev.  xxi.  16-21;  xii.  1.  The 
twenty-four  elders  represent  the  twelve  heads  of  the 
Old  Testament  and  the  twelve  Apostles  of  the  New 
Testament  combined. 

The  Mystics  say  that  this  number  twelve  forms  a 
perfect  circle,  and  that  the  safety  and  success  of  any 
person  or  plans  are  secured  by  the  formation  of  this 
perfect  ring  around  oneself.  The  inference  is  that 
Jesus  ordained  the  twelve  to  be  a  perfect  ring 
around  Himself;  consequently  so  long  as  this  ring 
was  unbroken  He  was  perfectly  safe,  and  Jesus  could 
not  be  crucified,  however  much  was  the  hatred  of 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  241 

the  Jews  against  Him.  What  Judas  did  when  he 
betrayed  Him  was  to  break  this  ring,  consequently 
His  safety  was  gone  at  once.  I  shall  not  vouch  for 
the  truth  of  this  statement;  but  yet  this  is  evident, 
that  so  long  as  the  twelve  were  united  and  true  to 
each  other  and  to  Christ,  every  scheme  and  hatred 
and  power  failed  to  touch  Him  in  any  way ;  but  no 
sooner  was  the  ring  broken  by  the  betrayal  of  Judas 
than  a  whole  avalanche  of  hatred  rushed  upon  Him 
and  swept  Him  away  almost  in  an  instant.  Whatever 
we  may  think  of  the  theory  of  the  Mystics,  we  do 
know  this  to  be  the  fact  in  connection  with  Christ's 
life. 

Besides,  they  say,  that  twelve  is  the  number  of  the 
church.  Three  is  the  divine  number,  containing  the 
Trinity  and  all  Heaven  in  its  widest  range.  Four  is 
the  world' s  number,  containing  this  earth  and  all  that 
pertains  to  it.  By  multiplying  three  and  four  to- 
gether we  find  twelve,  the  number  of  the  church. 
The  idea  is  a  good  one  whether  it  is  the  right  idea  or 
not.  It  is  perfectly  suitable  to  the  church.  What 
is  a  church  but  a  combination  both  of  heaven  and 
earth  together,  and  that  in  their  widest  range  possible? 
There  is  nothing  in  heaven  —  Father,  Son,  Holy 
Ghost,  angels,  or  glorified  saints,  but  that  the  church 
can  lay  claim  to;  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  earth — 
nature.  Providence,  difficulties,  trials,  duties,  respon- 
sibilities, or  blessings,  but  that  they  exist  for  the  ben- 
16 


242  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

efit  of  the  church.  The  church  combines  everything 
that  pertains  to  heaven  and  earth  for  its  own  use  and 
benefit.  These  twelve  were  the  representatives  of  this 
great  combination,  the  church.  Whether  or  not  this 
is  the  idea  of  the  twelve,  it  is  a  noble  idea  and  a  most 
true  one.  I  only  wish  we  could  realize  this  better 
than  we  do. 

VI.    Their  Order. 

The  list  of  the  twelve  are  given  here,  according  to 
their  names  as  mentioned  in  verses  16-19.  There 
are  four  lists  of  them  given  in  the  New  Testament, 
vide  Matt.  x.  2-4 ;  Mark  iii.  16-19 ;  Luke  vi.  14-16 ; 
and  Acts  i.  13  j  with  the  exception  of  Judas  Iscariot 
in  the  last  list.  No  two  of  these  lists  agree  precisely 
in  the  order  of  names,  and  yet  there  is  something  in 
the  lists  in  which  all  agree.  They  seem  to  be  divided 
into  three  groups  of  four  each,  with  the  same  persons 
at  the  first  and  last  of  each  list,  and  also  the  same 
persons  at  the  head  of  each  group.  Thus  Peter  is 
always  named  first,  Philip  the  fifth,  James  the  son 
of  Alpheus  the  ninth,  and  Judas  Iscariot  the  twelfth. 
Without  looking  at  the  characteristic  of  each  individ- 
ual of  the  twelve,  let  us  look  only  at  the  most  promi- 
nent characteristic  in  each  group. 

1.  The  first  group  has  Peter  at  its  head,  or,  as  we 
would  say  nowadays,  with  Peter  acting  as  its  chair- 
man, and  as  well  the  chairman  of  the  whole  twelve. 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  243 

The  men  of  this  group  all  possessed  remarkable  in- 
sight, zeal,  enthusiasm,  sympathy,  affection,  spirit- 
uality, faith,  etc.  The  spiritual  faculties  were  pre- 
dominating in  each  of  these  men.  On  such  men  you 
can  depend  as  safe  guides  and  leaders  of  society. 

2.  The  second  group,  with  Philip  at  its  head  or 
chairman,  were  men  of  reflection,  reason,  judgment, 
justice,  etc.  The  intellectual  faculties  predominated 
in  this  group.  In  this  group,  too,  we  find  Philip, 
who  could  not  possibly  go  beyond  his  means  to  feed 
the  five  thousand  in  the  wilderness  until  he  had  con- 
sulted Andrew,  who  belonged  to  the  first  group  (John 
vi.  5-8).  It  was  he  who  could  not  go  beyond  the 
visible  in  discovering  the  Patherhood  in  Jesus  Christ 
(John  xiv.  8-10).  In  this  group,  also,  we  find 
Thomas,  who  could  not  believe  in  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ  until  he  could  put  his  fingers  in  the 
print  of  the  nails,  etc.  (John  xx.  24-29).  These 
were  excellent  men,  but  men  of  no  religious  specula- 
tion beyond  their  immediate  resources.  They  are  in 
the  right  place  in  the  second  rank;  they  could  do 
nothing  as  leaders  of  a  religious  society. 

3.  The  third  group,  with  James  the  son  of  Alpheus 
at  their  head  or  chairman,  were  practical  men — ■ 
men  of  business  capabilities.  Who  knows  but  that 
this  James  the  son  of  Alpheus  was  the  right  au- 
thor of  tho  Epistle  known  as  the  Epistle  of  James? 
That  Epistle  is  the  most  business-like  letter  that  we 


244  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

have  in  the  New  Testament,  and  the  most  practicable 
in  all  its  bearings.  In  this  group  also  was  Judas  Is- 
cariot.  Whatever  was  this  man's  fault,  he  was  con- 
sidered a  better  man  of  business  than  any  of  his 
brethren.  The  order  of  this  grouping  is  an  essential 
element  in  the  true  success  of  society.  The  men  with 
their  spiritual  faculties  predominating  must  be  the 
leaders  of  every  church  and  society,  if  they  are  to 
succeed  at  all.  Next  to  them  must  be  the  men  of 
intellect}  and  after  these  come  the  men  of  business. 
Change  this  order,  by  allowing  the  men  of  intellect 
to  predominate,  and  you  will  be  led  into  doubt  and 
fear,  coldness  of  heart,  and  unbelief.  Society  or 
church  will  never  thrive  under  the  leadership  of  the 
men  of  intellect  alone,  much  less  will  it  thrive  under 
the  leadership  of  the  men  of  business.  We  need 
all  these  men  with  their  different  capabilities.  We 
greatly  need  the  men  of  business ;  bring  them  in,  even 
the  very  best  that  can  be  found.  We  need  the  men 
of  intellect,  the  strongest,  tlie  best  disciplined,  and 
most  enlightened  that  can  be  found.  But  the  men  of 
faith,  and  love,  and  spirituality,  and  sympathy,  etc., 
their  spiritual  faculties  predominating,  must  be  the 
leaders  in  the  cause  of  humanity  if  we  shall  prosper 
aright.  The  order  of  the  groups  as  they  are  among 
the  twelve  must  be  the  true  order  for  success  in  every 
church,  be  it  large  or  small,  and  the  only  order  in 
which  society  at  large  will  succeed. 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  245 

Vll.   The   Unknown  Majority  of  the  Twelve. 

But  a  few  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  became  promi- 
nent before  the  public.  The  majority  of  them  re- 
mained unknown.  I  remember  reading  once  a  sermon 
of  Dr.  Talmageon  the  subject,  "Paul  in  a  Basket" 
(2  Cor.  xi.  33).  The  idea  was  "The  Service  of  the 
Unknown."  In  describing  the  incident  he  said,  "  On 
what  a  slender  tenure  great  results  hang."  He  esti- 
mated that  there  were  some  seventy  thousand  or 
more  ministers  in  this  country,  and  most  of  them 
came  from  early  homes  which  had  to  struggle  for 
the  necessaries  of  life,  and  each  one  of  the  family 
had  to  sacrifice  greatly  in  order  to  give  the  young 
man  that  aspired  for  the  ministry  a  thorough  educa- 
tion. But  father,  mother,  brothers,  and  sisters  are  all 
in  the  list  of  the  great  unknown,  and  yet  they  have 
contributed  largely  toward  the  advancement  of  the 
Gospel.  So  it  was  in  the  escape  of  Paul  over  the 
wall  in  Damascus.  Who  conceived  of  the  plan  of  let- 
ting him  down  over  the  wall  we  do  not  know.  Who 
brought  the  basket,  the  rope,  etc.,  we  do  not  know. 
Who  held  the  rope  until  he  reached  the  ground  in 
safety  we  do  not  know,  but  they  contributed  largely 
toward  the  advancement  of  the  Gospel  at  that  criti- 
cal moment  in  its  life.  Who  are  the  religious  parents 
of  the  land? — their  names  are  not  prominent  before 
the  public ;  and  the  noble  army  of  the  Simday-school 


246  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

teachers,  they  are  of  the  unknown  many.  They  all 
belong  to  the  great  majority  of  unknown  workers,  and 
yet  they  are  faithfully  doing  their  work,  serving  their 
generation  in  the  great  cause  of  Christ.  What  became 
of  the  majority  of  these  Twelve  Apostles  we  do  not 
know ;  they  have  dropped  from  sight  and  have  fallen 
into  the  great  unknown  majority,  and  yet  they  must 
have  done  their  work  nobly  and  faithfully  to  the  very 
last,  and  at  the  end  of  all  things  they  shall  be  seen 
sitting  on  twelve  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel.  Do  not  think,  because  the  names  of  the  great 
majority  of  Christian  people  are  not  prominent  before 
the  public  in  the  land,  that  they  are  less  faithful  and 
true  to  their  Master,  who  hath  delivered  them  from 
the  power  of  darkness  and  hath  translated  them  into 
the  Kingdom  of  His  dear  Son.  They  belong  to  the 
unknown  seven  thousand  in  the  days  of  Elijah  (1 
Kings  xix.  18) .  This  is  the  use  Paul  makes  of  it  in 
Kom.  xi.  2-5.  The  saved  unknown  are  always  more 
numerous  than  we  are  apt  to  imagine.  The  majority 
of  the  Twelve  Apostles  belonged  to  the  great  unknown, 
and  were  not  less  faithful  and  true  than  the  most  promi- 
nent of  them. 

VIII.    The  Secondary   Uses  of  a  Man. 

Judas  Iscariot  was  ordained  with  the  rest  of  them, 
and  it  was  intended  that  he  should  carry  on  his  life 
and  his  apostleship  to  a  success  like  the  others ;  but 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  247 

he  failed.  It  indicates  the  possibility  of  a  man  being 
associated  with  the  best  companions  possible,  to  share 
in  the  best  opportunities,  to  be  used  for  the  greatest 
service,  to  possess  the  best  possible  gifts  for  the  work- 
ing out  of  the  great  object  of  his  life,  and  yet  fail. 
When  a  man  fails  in  the  principal  object  of  his  life, 
then  God  places  him  in  such  a  position  that  ho  may 
serve  as  a  beacon  of  warning  to  all  others.  This  is 
the  secondary  use  God  makes  of  a  man  after  he  fails 
in  his  first  object.  Thus  he  hath  done  with  Pharaoh, 
and  thus  also  with  Jud;is  Iscariot.  There  was  no  ne- 
cessity for  Judas  to  become  traitor ;  but  when  he  chose 
to  do  so,  then  he  became  a  warning  for  all.  Ever 
since  we  can  not  sit  together  around  the  communion- 
table to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  but  as  we 
read,  "  The  night  he  was  betrayed, "  take  heed  of  this 
lesson,  friends,  and  beware  of  failing  in  the  principal 
object  of  your  life,  and  do  not  turn  traitors  to  our 
Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  In  Judas  Iscariot 
you  find  covetousness  and  gambling  row  in  the  same 
boat.  Pie  who  demurred  to  tlie  reckless  expenditure 
of  a  pot  of  perfume  first,  sells  his  jMaster  for  a  trifle, 
then  flings  away  his  own  life,  like  a  gambler  does  the 
dice-box  when  his  last  penny  is  lost.  All  the  vices 
seem  to  play  into  each  other's  hands.  First  he  enter- 
tained the  vice  of  covetousness,  and  this  soon  beckoned 
2?er/?(/// to  come  to  him ;  then  perfidy  calls  t readier y  ; 
treachery  at  length   calls  saicide.     Beware  of  these 


248  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

steps,  and  avoid  making  the  first  step.  After  making 
the  first  step,  then  you  will  soon  come  to  estimate  the 
most  valuable  things  and  persons  at  the  lowest  price. 
Judas  Iscariot  is  used  as  a  beacon  of  warning  that  we 
may  avoid  his  end. 

IX.    Their    Work  and  the  Method  of  Doing  It. 

The  object  of  ordaining  the  Twelve  Apostles  is 
specified  in  three  ways:  1.  "That  they  should  be 
with  Him."  2.  "That  He  may  send  them  forth  to 
preach."  3.  That  "they  may  have  power  to  heal 
sicknesses  and  to  cast  out  devils,"  or  as  the  Revised 
Version  has  it,  "  and  to  have  authority  to  cast  out 
devils. "  The  order  is  true.  They  were  to  commence 
by  being  with  Him.  No  one  is  able  to  preach  oi 
cast  out  devils,  etc.,  with  commencing  to  be  with 
Him.  This  is  the  essential  part  of  man' s  prepara- 
tion. The  idea  of  preparation  is  the  foundation  of 
this  whole  movement.  However  else  a  man  might 
be  equipped  with  talent,  education,  training,  etc., 
unless  he  is  prepared  by  an  association  with  Christ 
he  is  not  truly  prepared  and  will  not  make  a  Christian 
worker.  Commence,  then,  your  Christian  career  by 
being  with  Him  that  you  may  learn  of  Him;  that  you 
may  be  in  sympathy  with  Him ;  and  that  you  may  be 
able  to  consecrate  your  life  to  His  great  service.  This 
is  the  very  foundation  on  which  the  whole  fabric  of 
Christian  life  is  woven.     Without  this,  as  it  were,  the 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  249 

whole  building  is  built  on  sand  and  will  not  endure, 
however  careful  we  may  be  of  other  things. 

Next  to  preparation  is  the  preaching  of  His  Word. 
This  is  the  greatest  of  all  the  works  of  the  followers 
of  Jesus.  This  is  the  great  instrument  which  Christ 
ordained  for  the  success  of  His  ministry.  By  this 
He  is  made  known  unto  others.  That  is  what  is 
meant  by  preaching.  The  woman  of  Samaria  did  it 
as  soon  as  she  found  Him, — left  her  water-pot  by  the 
well,  as  if  it  were  a  guaranty  for  her  return,  and 
went  to  make  Him  known  unto  others.  When  this 
preaching  is  faithfully  done  the  sick  are  healed  and 
devils  are  cast  out.  Preaching  goes  before  healing 
and  casting  out  devils.  Do  not  reverse  the  order  or 
else  they  will  all  fail  us.  Have  preaching  go  first  in 
every  respect  and  then  the  others  will  follow.  Lay 
the  chief  stress  on  preaching,  then  the  healing  and 
the  casting  out  devils  will  follow.  May  His  blessing 
rest  upon  every  effort  that  is  made  on  His  behalf. 

By  way  of  application  we  remark:  1.  That  God 
works  through  human  agents.  This  is  implied  in  the 
Incarnation,  and  it  is  confirmed  by  the  ordination  of 
the  twelve.  Christ's  work  depends  upon  the  effort 
of  men  put  forth  in  the  great  harvest  of  their 
own  earthly  life.  He  asks  to-day  for  our  helping 
hand,  however  feeble  that  may  be.  Do  not  refuse  it 
Him. 

2.  The  law  of  promotion  among  (Christ's  followers. 


250  THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

There  is  a  sense  in  wliicli  He  sends  forth  apostles  to- 
day as  well  as  in  the  days  of  His  flesh.  Those  who 
come  to  Him  to  learn  are  those  whom  He  sends  forth 
as  teachers.  Every  learner  is  expected  to  aspire  for 
the  position  of  a  teacher  (vide  Heb.  v.  11-14). 

3.  That  every  teacher  ought  to  be  commissioned  of 
Christ.  His  commission  is  in  force  now  as  well  as 
then.  This  is  what  Christ  means  when  He  says,  "  As 
thou  hast  sent  Me  into  the  world,  even  so  have  I  also 
sent  them  into  the  world"  (John  xvii.  18) .  The  verb 
"  have  sent"  is  an  aorist,  the  peculiarity  of  which  is, 
that  the  action  is  gone  forth,  but  has  not  been  com- 
pleted. For  instance,  it  is  used  in  relation  to  the 
going-out  of  Judas  Iscariot  from  the  supper  to  betray 
Him  (John  xiii.  30),  The  action  of  the  betrayal  had 
commenced,  but  was  not  completed.  It  is  used  for  tlie 
glorification  of  the  saints  by  Paul  (Rom.  viii.  30) : 
"And  whom  he  justified,  them  he  also  glorified." 
The  action  for  their  glorification  had  commenced ;  they 
were  now  on  the  way  to  be  glorified,  but  as  yet  have 
not  attained  it.  So  it  is  with  the  sending  forth  of 
these  Apostles.  Jesus  then  was  only  putting  forth 
an  action,  starting  the  great  movement  of  sending 
forth  His  commissioned  servants.  The  action  is  still 
in  force  and  has  not  been  completed  as  yet.  He  is 
continually  sending  forth  His  commissioned  servants. 
So  there  is  no  need  for  us  to  go  forth  without  His 
commission.     Get  His  commission  first  and  then  "go 


THE  TWELVE  APOSTLES.  251 

ye  into  all  the  world  and  preacli  the  Gospel  unto  all 
nations." 

4.  That  He  endues  whom  He  sends  forth  with  His 
o^^^l  supernatural  divine  power.  He  who  gives  the 
command  supplies  the  power.  This  is  what  Paul 
means  in  Eph.  iv.  8-12 :  "  Wherefore  He  saith,  when 
He  ascended  up  on  high  He  led  captivity  captive, 
and  gave  gifts  unto  men."  He  has  ascended  into 
heaven  with  the  very  object  of  supplying  us  with  the 
power  we  need  to  meet  our  different  duties  success- 
fully. Our  success  is  sure  in  teaching,  preaching,  heal- 
ing the  sick,  casting  out  devils  (and  there  are  myriads 
of  them  in  need  of  being  cast  out  nowadays,  as  well 
as  in  the  days  of  Jesus  Christ)  if  we  will  but  secure 
the  Divine  aid  which  is  given  us  at  our  option.  Let 
none  of  us  go  forth  without  this  Divine  aid. 

5.  That  they  were  freely  to  use  their  freely  given 
powers.  Our  gifts  are  not  ours,  God  distributeth  to 
every  man  severally  as  He  will.  They  are  given  us 
to  use  for  the  benefit  of  others.  We  are  to  sacrifice 
ourselves  in  order  that  others  may  be  saved.  May 
we  be  filled  more  and  more  with  the  Spirit  of  Jesus 
that  we  may  fulfil  our  commission  with  His  commen- 
dation ! 


THE   DIVINE    AND   THE    HUMAN   IN 
CHURCH  WORK. 

By  Rev.  R.  T.  Jones,  D.D.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

"For  the  spirit  of  the  living  creature  (of  life)  was  in  the 
wheels,  "—Ezekiel  i.  20. 

The  glory  of  the  Eternal  is  seen  in  natural  forces. 
In  this  marvelous  vision  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  not- 
withstanding his  peculiar  genius  and  imagination,  with 
the  exactness  of  a  modern  astronomer  in  his  observa- 
tions, gives  a  vivid  description  of  the  power  of  God, 
and  the  relation  which  He  sustains  to  nature.  God  in 
His  providence,  God  in  motion,  seems  to  be  the  great 
and  central  thought  of  the  prophet's  vision. 

Evidently,  the  wheels  within  wheels,  each  one  per- 
forming its  own  function,  represent  the  various  laws 
and  forces  of  nature  which  are  the  methods  used  by 
the  Almighty  to  execute  His  firm  and  eternal  decrees. 
Not  only  does  nature  loudly  proclaim  the  power  and 
glory  of  an  all-wise  Creator,  but  the  method,  order, 
and  design  everywhere  manifest  declare  that  nature's 
material  forces  are  the  agents  and  active  servants  of 
the  Most  High. 

But  while  the  wheels  described  in  the  vision  are  of 
253 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     253 

perfect  dimensions  and  in  grand  harmony  with  each 
other,  thus  forming  one  huge  machinery,  yet  the  in- 
spired author  brings  out  distinctly  the  sublime  thought 
that  it  is  "  the  spirit  of  life  "  in  the  wheels  that  gives 
the  motion. 

The  prophet  declares  life  of  the  spirit  to  be  the  origi- 
nating force  of  the  movement  of  the  mysterious  forms. 
As  life  can  only  come  from  the  touch  of  life,  the  life  in 
the  wheels  is  that  imparted  by  the  spirit  of  life.  The 
Spirit  of  God  that  "  brooded  upon  the  face  of  the  wa- 
ters" ;  that  breathed  into  the  nostrils  of  man  the  breath 
of  life,  "  and  man  became  a  living  soul, "  is  the  spir- 
it that  gives  life  in  Ezekiel's  vision.  The  life  in- 
tended here  is  that  connected  with  God,  holy,  spiri- 
tual life  in  the  abundance  of  its  energy  and  active 
power. 

This  terrestrial  globe  being  the  stage  on  which  God 
is  working  out  His  redemptive  plan,  no  laws  of  exe- 
gesis are  violated  in  applying  the  thought  of  the  text 
to  the  blending  of  the  Divine  and  human  power  in 
church  work. 

The  Almighty  Spirit  which  moves  all  the  wheels  of 
nature,  keeping  in  constant  motion  the  stupendous 
machinery  of  the  universe,  is  also  the  power  which 
creates  anew  and  moves  the  heart  of  man,  and  gives 
life  and  motion  to  the  great  church  militant. 

The  church  organizing  upon  this  earth  is  a  ma- 
chinery of  sublime  construction,  conceived  of  God, 


254    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK. 

redeemed  with  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  is  revived 
and  kept  on  its  onward  movements  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  various  Christian  denominations  throughout 
Christendom  are  wheels  in  this  machinery,  each  one 
doing  good  seryice  in  its  place ;  and  the  constituents 
of  these  denominations,  the  members  of  the  churches 
— the  individual  believers — are  the  wheels  within 
wheels. 

A  truth  conceded  by  all  evangelical  Christians  is, 
that  the  church,  wonderful  and  powerful  as  is  its  or- 
ganization, and  great  as  is  its  moral  and  uplifting  in- 
fluence, can  not  of  itself  save  and  give  eternal  life. 
It  is  the  agent  of  God  to  gather  souls  and  bring  -them 
to  the 

"Fountain  filled  with  blood 
Drawn  from  Emmanuel's  veins, 
And  sinners,  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains.  " 

It  is  not  for  us  to  speculate  and  wonder  the  reason 
why,  but  with  an  unwavering  faith  to  accept  the  plain 
and  positive  fact  that  God  has  always  used  and  em- 
phasized means  in  the  unfolding  of  His  purpose. 

That  He  could  in  some  miraculous  way  lead  the 
children  of  Israel  triumphantly  to  Canaan  without 
the  aid  of  man  no  one  denies ;  but  that  was  not  the 
method  He  adopted ;  He  raised  a  Moses  and  a  Joshua 
to  be  leaders. 

Heroes  of  reformation  and  apostles  of  freedom  and 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     255 

purity  like  Wyclif,  John  Huss,  Savonarola,  Luther, 
Calvin,  and  Knox;  fearless  and  eloquent  expounders 
of  the  truth  like  the  Wesleys,  Whitfield,  Jonathan 
Edwards,  and  Moody,  did  not  spring  up  into  preemi- 
nence, power,  and  influence  of  their  own  volition. 
Like  Abraham  they  obeyed  the  divine  voice.  God 
prepared  them  and  called  them  at  a  particular  time 
to  do  a  particular  work.  While  the  work  is  being 
prepared  for  the  man,  God  prepares  a  man  for  the 
work.     We  have  a  grand  illustration  of  this  in  Paul. 

It  is  very  clear,  therefore,  that  in  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion man  is  an  important  factor,  not  only  in  the  sense 
of  being  saved,  but  also  in  the  sense  of  being  a  means 
in  God's  hands  to  "rescue  the  perishing."  Having 
found  Jesus  "  tell  others  the  story. " 

From  the  grave  of  Lazarus  comes  a  most  practical, 
forcible,  and  precious  lesson.  To  the  friends  gath- 
ered the  blessed  Jesus  said,  "  Take  ye  away  the 
stone."  Man  could  do  that,  but  he  could  not  raise 
the  dead.  The  stone  being  rolled  away,  Jesus  "  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth." 

There  is  work  for  man  to  do.  In  emphasizing  the 
human  element  in  the  extension  of  the  Spiritual  King- 
dom stress  should  be  laid  upon  methods. 

It  is  true  that  life  is  not  in  methods;  yet  it  is 
equally  true  that  in  aggressive  church  work  proper 
methods  are  valuable  and  essential.  We  stand  amazed 
at   the  great  achievements  in  the  domains   of   arts 


256    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK. 

and  science,  and  the  rapid  strides  in  the  mechani- 
cal world.  Elements  of  nature  have  been  brought  into 
subjection;  oceans  have  been  spanned;  distance  anni- 
hilated; remote  continents  joined;  life  given  to  steam; 
a  tongue  to  the  wire,  and  a  voice  to  electricity. 

Yet  all  these  triumphs,  as  well  as  the  marvels  of 
inventive  genius,  are  only  the  triumphs  of  methods. 
In  other  words,  the  new  inventions  are  only  new  meth- 
ods of  applying  power  already  in  existence.  "  There 
are  more  ways  to  the  woods  than  one." 

It  is  not  in  the  power  of  man  to  create  a  force,  but 
by  the  application  of  means  and  methods  he  can  make 
use  of  force  for  the  benefit  of  humanity. 

Electric  power  as  a  force  in  the  universe  is  not  a 
new  creation,  but  its  utility  to  man  is  modern,  and 
this  service  is  the  triumph  of  method. 

Method  has  made  all  the  difference  between  a 
three  months'  trip  and  a  trip  of  five  days  and  a  few 
hours  across  the  Atlantic. 

Method  has  made  all  the  difference  between  the  ox- 
cart speed  and  the  ninety  miles  in  ninety  minutes 
speed  between  Philadelphia  and  New  York  City. 

Full  of  significance  is  the  advice  of  Lord  Chester- 
field in  his  letters  to  his  son.  "  Despatch  is  the  soul 
of  business,  and  nothing  contributes  more  to  despatch 
than  method.  Lay  down  a  method  for  everything, 
and  stick  to  it  inviolably,  as  far  as  unexpected  inci- 
dents may  allow." 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     257 

Seeing,  then,  that  the  Creator  Himself  works 
through  means  and  methods,  and  the  effect  of  meth- 
ods in  tlie  success  of  man  in  the  material  world,  sure- 
\y  the  church,  the  grandest  and  mightiest  organiza- 
tion on  earth,  should  use  methods  and  emulate  the 
Pauline  spirit:  "Andiuito  the  Jews  I  became  as  a 
Jew,  that  I  might  gain  the  Jews.  ...  To  the  weak 
became  I  as  weak,  that  I  might  gain  the  weak ;  I  am 
made  all  things  to  all  men,  that  I  might  by  all  means 
save  some."  In  adapting  himself  and  his  ways  to  win 
souls  for  Christ,  Paul  did  not  compromise  the  truth; 
neither  need  the  church  of  to-day  lower  the  standard 
of  truth  in  adapting  ways  and  means  to  win  the  world 
for  Jesus.  The  church  of  the  living  God  in  its  founda- 
tion, nature,  and  aim,  like  the  Foimder,  is  divine;  but 
the  polity  or  church  governments  which  distinguish 
denominations  are  not  stamped  with  divinity.  Church 
polity,  methods,  and  forms  of  services  are  of  man, 
therefore  the  changing  of  these  does  not  effect  the 
truth  which  is  of  God. 

We  love  God  no  less  than  our  Puritan  fathers  did ; 
there  is  as  much  earnest  devotion  felt  in  our  worship- 
ing; Christ  and  Him  crucified  is  preached  with  as 
much  zeal  and  power  as  in  days  gone  by;  and  the 
army  of  believers  has  increased  mightily,  and  is  still 
increasing,  marching  on  "  conquering  and  to  conquer  " ; 
yet  wonderful  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  method 
of  preaching  and  conducting  the  means  of  grace. 
17 


258    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH   WORK. 

It  is  said  that  the  famous  divine  and  preacher,  John 
Howe,  usually  began  the  services  at  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing on  the  Lord's  day,  and  the  meeting  lasted  nearly 
four  hours,  as  the  preacher  occupied  three  and  half 
hours,  viz. :  15  minutes  for  the  invocation,  45  for  read- 
ing and  expounding  the  Scriptures,  60  for  the  second 
prayer,  60  for  the  sermon,  and  30  minutes  for  the 
closing  prayer,  making  in  all  210  minutes,  or  three  and 
a  half  hours.  Evidently  that  would  not  suit  modern 
taste  and  convenience. 

A  most  remarkable  change  has  also  been  brought 
about  in  the  activity  manifested  by  the  old  and  young 
Christians.  No  longer  are  good  people  checked  in 
their  holy  ambition,  but  are  rather  encouraged. 

Young  people,  whether  through  the  means  of  the 
Christian  Endeavor  Society  or  their  own  denomina- 
tional societies,  are  a  great  power  for  good.  Their 
efforts  and  also  those  of  the  Salvation  Army  are  new 
methods  adapted  to  the  condition  of  things  in  these 
enterprising  days  for  the  purpose  of  winning  souls. 
Every  honest  effort  to  save  the  young  and  old  from 
the  devil's  grasp,  everything  which  tends  to  elevate 
Jesus  as  "  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  "  should  be 
welcomed  and  encouraged. 

Some  keen  observer  has  left  on  record  the  fact  that 
the  church  has  passed  through  three  great  transitional 
periods  and  is  now  passing  through  the  fourth.  The 
Apostolic  fathers  earnestly  preached  the  Gospel  in  its 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     259 

simplicity,  aud  the  people  accepted  the  simple  facts 
without  any  theorizing.  But  as  the  rapid  spread  of 
Christianity  alarmed  heathendom,  leading  to  acute  at- 
tacks like  those  of  Celsus,  it  became  necessary  to  define 
and  defend  Christian  doctrine,  and  thus  the  preaching 
became  dogmatic  and  apologetic.  Following  this  came 
the  second  transitional  period — that  of  union  of  church 
and  state.  While  this  might  have  served  a  purpose, 
it  developed  a  great  evil.  Then  came  the  third  period 
of  transition — the  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. This  period  marked  a  return  to  spiritual  truth 
and  an  advance  in  the  application  of  Christian  doc- 
trine; and  now  the  church  is  passing  through  the 
fourth  period, — it  is  a  return  to  Christ's  teaching  con- 
cerning man's  relation  to  his  fellow  man  and  to  his 
God,  and  an  advance  in  the  application  of  Christian 
principles  to  the  organized  life  of  society. 

In  other  words,  it  is  practical  Christianity.  It  is 
preaching  and  doing  the  Master's  will.  This  is  an 
intensely  interesting  and  practical  age,  and  the  or- 
ganized church  should  prove  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency. 

To  meet  the  demands  of  the  day,  no  new  Gospel  is 
wanted.  The  glorious  Gospel  of  Jesus,  the  Gospel 
of  peace  and  life,  is  the  same  in  its  efficacy  to  save 
as  it  ever  was.  It  is  the  "  one  thing  needful, "  and  it 
is  the  only  power  that  can  lift  man  from  the  pitfalls 
of  sin  and  put  him  on  the  lofty  summit  of  peace  with 


260    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK. 

his  Maker,   where  his  soul  may  forever  bask  in  the 
radiant  sunshine  of  immortal  bliss. 

The  world  wants  no  new  truth,  no  new  Gospel,  no 
new  Savior,  but  what  is  wanted  is  the  adapting  of 
honest  methods  and  sanctified  means  to  the  changed 
condition  of  society,  so  as  to  reach  the  masses  for  the 
salvation  of  immortal  souls  to  the  glory  of  God.  But 
however  useful  and  essential  methods  and  means  are, 
they  are  ineifective  without  the  instrumentality  of 
man ;  therefore  stress  should  be  laid  upon 

Man  as  an  Important  Factor  hi  the    Work  of 
Salvation. 

Not  man  in  the  abstract,  but  man  in  the  concrete — 
the  individual  man.  It  is  personal  individuality  that 
does  the  work.  It  is  the  hand  of  man  at  the  throttle 
of  the  engine ;  it  is  man  that  steers  the  ship  over  the 
mighty  deep.  Everywhere  the  individual  man  is 
needed,  and  his  power  is  felt. 

There  is  a  tendency  to  overlook  the  individuality 
and  the  personality  of  man.  This  is  prompted  by  the 
erroneous  idea  that  organized  society  can  do  all  the 
thinking  and  the  work.  An  organization  is  effective 
because  the  individuals  who  constitute  it  perform  their 
respective  work.  The  machinery  as  a  whole  moves 
and  works  for  the  reason  that  every  part  of  it  is 
doing  the  work  assigned  to  it.     "  It  is  wheel  within 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     261 

wheel,"  and  the  smallest  wheel  is  as  essential  as  the 
largest. 

The  church  militant  is  a  grand  and  mighty  organi- 
zation, but  to  accomplish  its  mission  the  individual 
member  must  loyally  do  his  and  her  duty.  This  work 
can  not  be  done  by  proxy,  it  must  be  done  by  oneself. 
How  beautifully  does  the  Gospel  story  of  the  good 
Samaritan  illustrate  this  thought!  The  chief  actor  in 
the  parable  not  only  had  compassion  on  the  wounded 
man,  but  "  went  to  him  and  bound  up  his  wounds, 
pouring  in  oil  and  wine,  and  set  him  on  his  own  beast, 
and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took  care  of  him." 
A  grand  spirit  was  he,  showing  his  sympathy  practi- 
cally. Besides  doing  all  he  could,  when  he  had  to  de- 
part he  left  with  the  host  some  money  so  as  to  secure 
further  care  for  the  sufferer. 

But  many  a  modern  Samaritan  has  no  time  for  the 
wounded,  the  imfortunate,  and  the  aflGlicted.  Too 
many  business  cares  he  offers  as  the  excuse.  But  to 
satisfy  his  conscience  he  makes  a  contribution  now 
and  then  to  some  benevolent  purpose,  and  he  hires,  as 
he  vainly  thinks,  a  minister  to  do  the  praying,  the 
sympathizing,  and  the  loving  for  him.  This  is  not 
Christianity.  A  Christian  must  throw  his  own  per- 
sonality into  the  work. 

"  A  work  for  me  and  a  work  for  you, 
Something  for  each  of  us  now  to  do.  " 

Great  and  good  actions  are  the  eloquence  of  man. 


262    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK. 

"  We  live  in  deeds,  not  years  ;  in  thoughts,  not  breath ; 
In  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  the  dial. 
We  should  count  time  by  heart-throbs  when  they  beat 
For  God,  for  man,  for  duty.     He  most  lives 
Who  thinks  most,  feels  noblest,  acts  the  best.  " 

In  no  sphere  can  a  man  serve  his  God  and  human, 
ity  so  nobly  as  he  can  through  the  channel  of  the 
church  of  the  living  God.  Herein  is  the  stage  for 
action,  and  herein  is  a  place  for  every  consecrated 
heart.  The  man  with  one  talent  is  needed  as  much 
as  the  one  with  five  talents.  There  is  work  for  all : 
one  to  plant,  another  to  water ;  a  Moody  to  preach,  a 
Sankey  to  sing. 

0  man !  created  in  the  image  of  God,  whoever  you 
are,  you  have  some  redeeming  feature :  you  are  part 
of  the  great  machinery.  Revolve  obediently  in  your 
place,  doing  the  Master's  will.  God  requires  it  of 
you ;  the  condition  of  the  world  demands  it  of  you. 

Forget  not  your  part  in  the  salvation  of  your  fel- 
low man. 

"  To  serve  the  present  age, 

My  calling  to  fulfil. 
Oh,  may  it  all  my  powers  engage 
To  do  my  Master's  will.  " 

So  far,  we  have  endeavored  to  show  the  value  of 
methods  and  human  service,  but  we  can  not  ascribe  to 
these  the  motive  power  that  gives  motion  to  the  divine 
machinery  which  redeems  and  sanctifies  man;  we 
therefore  emphasize — 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     263 

The  Kohj  Spirit  as  the  Power  whic^i  Owes  Life. 

The  wheels  in  Ezekiel's  vision  were  perfect,  but 
they  could  not  move  of  themselves.  It  was  the  spirit 
of  life  that  gave  them  motion. 

As  an  organization  the  church  of  the  present  day 
is  wellnigh  perfection.  ^lethods  and  means  abound, 
and  men  are  plenty.  But  to  this  grand  organized 
body  the  words  of  Christ  are  as  true  and  forcible  as 
when  they  first  fell  from  His  holy  lips,  "  Without  IMe 
ye  can  do  nothing." 

It  is  the  Spirit  blessing  and  sanctifying  the  means, 
renewing  and  quickening  the  individual  believers, 
that  makes  the  church  a  power  in  motion  and  to  be- 
come "  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners. "  The 
Apostle  Paul  understood  the  secret  of  success  in 
God's  work.  "  But  I  labored  more  abundantly  than 
they  all;  yet  not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  which, 
was  with  me."  "I,  yet  not  I."  Paul  a  factor,  but 
it  was  God's  Spirit  in  Paul  that  accomplished  the 
work. 

Man  is  a  power  when  he  is  the  agent  of  the  divine 
Spirit.  Stephenson,  the  inventor,  was  once  asked  by 
what  power  was  the  train  of  cars  hauled?  He  an- 
swered, "  The  sun. "  To  the  popular  mind  this  answer 
may  seem  rather  indefinite,  if  not  ridiculous.  Is  it 
not  the  fire  under  the  boiler  generating  steam  that 
produces   the  power  which   moves  the   train?     Un- 


264    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH   WORK. 

doubtedly,"  this  is  tlie  immediate  cause.  But  the 
brainy  Stephenson  knew  his  business,  and  well  he 
knew  that  there  is  a  vital  connection  between  the  fire 
of  the  coal  and  wood  and  the  fire  of  the  sun. 

Were  there  no  sun,  there  would  be  no  fire  to  give 
power  to  move  and  drive  the  engine  that  bounds  over 
the  valleys  and  through  the  hills  with  the  velocity  of 
the  wind. 

In  a  like  manner  we  trace  by  faith  every  power  for 
good  in  the  believer  to  the  Divine  source,  the  "  Sun  of 
righteousness."  It  is  He  by  His  Spirit  that  generates 
power  in  the  heart  of  man — power  to  act  and  do 
mighty  deeds;  it  is  He  who  gives  vitality  to  every 
fiber  of  the  soul. 

It  was  the  Spirit  that  led  Peter  to  open  the  doors 
of  Christianity  to  the  Gentile  world,  which  act  brought 
about  one  of  the  mightiest  revolutions  ever  wrought  on 
earth.  It  was  the  Spirit  that  directed  Paul  to  carry 
the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  Europe,  resulting  in 
continents  taken  for  Christ,  and  it  is  by  the  same 
Spirit  soldiers  of  the  cross  in  every  age,  land,  and 
clime  are  enabled  to  carry  on  the  war  of  conquest 
against  darkness  and  sin.  Spirit-equipped,  and 
Spirit-led,  and  Spirit-filled  Christians  are  mighty  in 
their  deeds  and  influence.  If  we,  the  followers  of 
Jesus,  as  we  stand  on  the  threshold  of  the  twentieth 
century,  would  be  a  force  in  the  world,  we  must  have 
in  us  the  same  power,  the  tongue  of  fire,  which  de- 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     265 

scended  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  This  is  tlie  dynamic 
energy  that  can  blast  the  pyramids  of  indifference, 
ignorance,  unbelief,  and  corruption.  Oh,  for  the 
promised  dynamite  of  the  Holy  Spirit!  "Ye  shall 
receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon 
you." 

When  the  believer  is  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  is 
willing  to  be  led  by  Him,  it  is  simply  marvelous  what 
he  can  do,  and  what  joy  he  finds  in  doing. 

Think  of  a  machine-shop.  What  a  beehive  of  in- 
dustry it  is,  and  what  a  din  and  clank  of  machinery 
are  there !  Many  are  the  machines — large  ones,  small 
ones,  wheels  of  every  dimension — wheel  within  wheel. 
What  power  moves  them  all?  In  some  part  of  the 
building  there  is  a  powerful  engine,  and  by  the 
means  of  belts  all  the  machines  are  connected  to  the 
engine. 

Fellow  believer,  see  you  that  faithful  Christian? 
He  goes  about  doing  good.  The  imfortunate,  the 
afflicted,  and  the  erring  appeal  to  his  sympathy.  He 
turns  no  deaf  ear  to  the  cries  of  the  needy.  His 
heart  beats  in  compassion  for  the  sons  and  daughters 
o£  Adam's  race  who  are  down  deep  in  the  mire  of  sin. 
He  walks  up  and  down  the  narrow  streets  and  back 
alleys,  speaking  words  of  cheer  to  those  laden  with 
burdens.  He  goes  to  the  highways  and  byways  in- 
viting people  to  the  marriage  feast  of  the  Lamb.  He 
climbs  the  back  and  dark  stairways  into  rooms  poorly 


266    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK. 

furnished  to  comfort  tlie  sick  and  the  dying,  and  in 
the  means  of  grace  in  the  sanctuary  he  is  always 
there  with  joy  dancing  upon  his  countenance,  as  he 
mingles  his  voice  with  others  singing  praise  to  Him 
who  has  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law. 

Do  you  ask  the  cause  for  his  activity  and  happi- 
ness? Ah!  he  is  a  wheel  in  the  great  machinery — 
the  church  purchased  with  precious  blood — and  is 
united  to  Christ  by  the  belt  of  faith,  and  he  revolves 
in  sweet  harmony  and  perfect  accord  with  the  will 
of  God. 

Owing  to  this  sweet  union  with  Jesus,  the  Spirit 
impels  him  to  act.  As  the  mountain-spring  sparkles 
and  bubbles  and  gushes  forth  because  it  is  its  nature, 
and  as  the  bird  sings  and  warbles  and  makes  the  air 
quiver  with  its  melodious  song  because  it  is  its  nature 
so  to  do,  so  is  the  Christian  who  is  united  to  Christ; 
being  filled  with  the  Spirit,  he  derives  his  strength 
from  above;  he  is  miserable  unless  he  is  doing  as  his 
Master  did. 

"  Thy  Spirit  shall  unite 

Our  souls  to  Thee,  our  Head, 
Shall  form  in  us  Thine  image  bright 
That  we  Thy  paths  may  tread.  " 

The  want  of  the  age  is  the  Spirit's  power.  We 
advocate  all  honest  methods  and  means,  we  concede 
the  value  of  the  power  of  learning  and  eloquence,  yet 
all  the  genius  of  man  is  like  the  "  tinkling  cymbal " 


DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK.     2G7 

unless  the  Holy  Spirit  is  in  the  heart.  This  is  the 
power  that  will  melt  down  all  our  icicles  of  iudififer- 
euce  and  change  our  natures  into  mighty  torrents  of 
earnestness  and  enthusiasm  in  God's  work. 

It  is  said  of  Scanderbeg,  King  of  Albania,  that  he 
was  wonderfully  skilful  in  the  art  of  handling  the 
sword.  After  his  death  the  sword  which  had  slain 
so  many  on  the  battle-field  was  put  away  and  sacredly 
kept.  One  day  a  person  of  military  fame  desired  to 
see  the  sword,  and  on  seeing  it  remarked  that  he  saw 
nothing  remarkable  about  it.  The  keeper  answered, 
"  You  do  not  see  the  hand  tliat  wielded  it." 

Many  a  faithful  worker  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  does 
not  impress  us  in  any  way  remarkable  as  to  appear- 
ance aud  ability.  He  would  not  rank  as  a  scholar 
or  philosopher  or  orator,  yet  his  good  and  effective 
work  is  known.  Why  is  it?  Ah!  we  do  not  see  the 
power  that  wields  him.  It  is  the  Spirit,  the  life- 
giving  Spirit,  that  makes  him  what  he  is.  "Not  by 
might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord. " 
In  these  days  the  feeling  to  alleviate  the  suffering  of 
man  and  to  rescue  him  from  the  ways  of  sin  is  grow- 
ing broader  and  deeper.  It  permeates  the  very  best 
society,  and  it  is  a  good  sign.  This  feeling  has  given 
birth  to  numerous  organizations,  and  still  new  ones 
spring  into  existence.  We  believe  all  these  are 
prompted  by  good  motives  and  purposes,  and  far  be 
it  from  us  to  cast  a  single  reflection  upon  any  society 


268    DIVINE  AND  HUMAN  IN  CHURCH  WORK. 

intended  for  the  good  of  man,  yet  observation  compels 
us  to  say  that  the  tendency  seems  to  be  to  lay  too 
mucli  stress  upon  the  man  power  and  too  little  de- 
pendence upon  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Let  us  give  the  Spirit  more  prominence,  and  with 
Him  permeating  society  and  every  believer's  heart, 
the  world  will  soon  be  conquered  for  Christ. 

Consecrated  men  and  women  are  necessary  factors 
— they  are  wheels;  but  let  the  constant  prayer  of 
God's  people  be  for  the  unction  of  the  Spirit  to  give 
the  wheels  power  and  speed. 

"Author  of  the  new  creation  ! 

Let  us  now  Thine  influence  prove  ; 
Make  our  hearts  Thy  habitation, 
Shed  abroad  a  Savior's  Love. 

Pass  me  not,  O  mighty  Spirit ! 

Thou  canst  make  the  blind  to  see  ; 
Witnesser  of  Jesus'  merit. 

Speak  the  word  of  power  to  me.  " 


THE  CREATURE. 

By  Rev.  Samuel  Jones,  Carroll,  Nebr. 

"For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature  waitethforthe 
manifestation  of  the  sous  of  God.  For  the  creature  was  made 
subject  to  vanity,  not  Tvillingly,  but  by  reason  of  him  who 
had  subjected  the  same  in  hope.  Because  the  creature  itself 
also  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  into 
thegloriousliberty  of  the  children  of  God." — Rom.  viii.  19-21. 

It  is  surprising  what  a  variety  of  interpretations 
many  able  and  learned  men  put  upon  the  term  **  crea- 
ture "  in  this  text.  Each  student  seems  dissatisfied 
with  the  explanation  of  his  predecessors,  and  not  a 
few  are  actuated  more  by  a  desire  to  produce  something 
original  than  to  get  at  the  truth. 

By  the  ''creature"  here  is  meant  the  "creation." 
**  For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creation  waiteth 
for  the  revealing  of  the  sons  of  God."  This  is  not  a 
new  explanation,  but  an  old  one,  and  it  seems  to  me 
more  reasonable  than  many  that  have  been  propounded 
since.  The  term  "  creation "  is  to  be  taken  in  its 
broader  sense,  including  both  the  animate  and  inani- 
mate portion  of  the  world,  and  in  order  to  have  a 
right  view  of  the  creation  longing  and  striving  for 

269 


270  THE  CREATURE. 

deliverance  from  some  captivity  or  bondage,  we  must 
in  the  first  place  understand  the  nature  of  that  bond- 
age. 

It  is  stated  here  that  the  creation  has  been  made 
subject  to  "  vanity, "  a  word  which  is  often  used  in 
the  Bible  to  denote  sin. 

It  is  further  stated  that  the  creation  was  made  sub- 
ject to  vanity  not  willingly,  but  "by  reason  of  Him," 
etc.  This  means  God.  It  was  done  by  way  of  pun- 
ishment, and  punishment  for  sin.  But  we  are  told 
that  the  creation  has  hopes  of  deliverance.  "  Because 
the  creature  itself  also  shall  be  delivered, "  etc. 

This  is  Paul's  own  version  of  the  term  "creature," 
and  I  take  it  that  it  includes  both  the  animate  and 
inanimate  world. 

Let  us  prove  or  test  this  view  by  comparing  what  is 
said  of  the  creature  with  the  present  condition  of  cre- 
ation under  the  influence  of  sin,  and  also  as  it  is 
through  the  Gospel  in  expectation  of  a  deliverance. 

In  Genesis  iii.  14-19,  we  read  as  follows :  "  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  the  serpent.  Because  thou  hast  done 
this,  thou  art  cursed  above  all  cattle,  and  above  every 
beast  of  the  field :  upon  thy  belly  shalt  thou  go,  and 
dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy  life :  And  I  will 
put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between 
thy  seed  and  her  seed :  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and 
thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel." 

Here  is  a  striking  description  of  the  fall  of  the  ser- 


THE  CREATURE.  271 

pent.  Not  willingly  was  the  serpent  thus  subjected; 
it  was  God  that  decreed  it  by  way  of  punishment  for 
deceiving  the  woman.  "Cursed  above  all  cattle." 
This  implies  that  ail  creatures  have  been  subjected, 
only  that  the  serpent  is  cursed  "above  the  rest." 
The  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  accorded  to  animals 
shows  very  clearly  that  they  have  been  subjected 
agamst  their  will. 

In  the  sixteenth  verse  we  read  thus :  "  Unto  the 
woman  He  said,  I  will  greatly  multiply  thy  sorrow 
and  thy  conception ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring  forth 
children ;  and  thy  desire  shall  be  to  thy  husband,  and 
he  shall  rule  over  thee." 

This  was  not  the  first  or  original  condition  of  woman, 
but  through  yielding  to  temptation  she  likewise  was 
subjected,  not  willingly,  but  "  by  reason  of  him  who 
hath  subjected  the  same  in  hope."  Thus  all  the  deg- 
radation and  oppression  to  which  woman  has  been 
subjected  throughout  the  ages  is  due  to  her  sin.  Of 
man  also  it  was  said :  "  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt 
thou  eat  bread. "  His  loss  of  inward  peace,  of  power, 
and  of  glory  is  the  fruit  of  sin. 

Of  the  ecjth  itself  it  was  said :  "  Thorns  and  this- 
tles shall  it  bring  forth."  So  the  subjection  is  com- 
plete; it  covers  man,  woman,  earth,  and  the  beasts  of 
the  field,  moral  and  material,  rational  and  irrational, 
animate  and  inanimate.  This  is  our  interpretation  of 
the  term  "creature."     How  broad,  how  deep,   how 


272  THE  CREATURE. 

far-reaching  are  the  effects  of  sin  having  brought  all 
parts  of  creation  under  the  curse ! 

Let  us  now  see  how  the  "  creature  "  or  the  "  creation  " 
longs  for  deliverance;  for  with  the  curse  came  the 
promise :  "  Because  the  creature  itself  also  shall  be 
delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glo- 
rious liberty  of  the  children  of  God. "  This  does  not 
mean  that  the  material  portion  of  creation  consciously 
longs  for  deliverance,  only  the  immaterial,  the  mor- 
al, the  personal,  and  the  spiritual.  The  Bible  often 
speaks  of  inanimate  creation  as  if  endowed  with  the 
power  of  "will"  and  "thought."  "The  mountains 
and  the  hills  shall  break  forth  before  you  into  singing, 
and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands  " 
(Isaiah  Iv.  12).  This  is  done  to  show  that  things  will 
take  place  which  in  themselves  are  imlikely  and  un- 
expected and  unexplainable,  and  which  will  create 
astonishment  and  wonder  in  every  direction. 

Now,  tho  sin  darkened  and  poisoned  our  moral 
atmosphere  and  produced  unmeasured  sorrow  and 
inequalities  of  all  kinds,  yet  we  are  not  left  without 
hope.  There  is  hope  of  those  plains  which  now  only 
produce  thorns  and  thistles  that  they  will  under  sci- 
entific treatment  bring  forth  rich  harvests  for  man  and 
beast.  Science,  civilization,  and  Christianity  hand- 
in-hand  are  slowly  but  surely  improving  the  condition 
of  the  earth  and  removing  the  influence  of  the  curse. 

The  same  hope  applies  to   the   animal   creation. 


THE  CREATURE.  273 

GraduaUy  we  are  being  taught  to  take  better  care  of 
them,  to  extend  to  the  beasts  of  the  field  more  merci- 
ful treatment.  The  hour  is  approaching  when  ani- 
mals will  not  be  subjected  to  the  cruel  and  heathenish 
treatment  so  often  practised  in  these  days. 

So  it  may  be  said  of  woman.     Her  position  is  not 
uow  what  it  used  to  be.     She  demands  greater  respect, 
she  has  better  opportunities,  and  there  is  less  disposi- 
tion abroad  to  disparage  her  simply  because  she  is  a 
woman.     This  is  a  most  hopeful  sign,   and  one  we 
Christian  people  should  be  thankful  for.     Woman  has 
iafluence  where  man  has  not.     She  can  accomplish 
what  man  can  not.     There  are  certain  evils  that  will 
never  be  crushed  until  woman  shall  have  had  the  privi- 
lege of  bringing  her  direct  influences  to  bear  upon 

them.  .  -  .. 

To  what  does  she  owe  her  emancipation  so  far  as  it 
has  gone?  To  Christ  and  Christianity.  What  is  the 
power  that  will  complete  her  emancipation?  It  is 
the  Gospel  of  our  blessed  Lord. 

Man  also  has  hopes  of  a  deliverance.  The  hard 
labors  made  necessary  in  the  battle  for  bread,  through 
the  fact  of  his  sin,  is  under  the  providence  of  God  to 
become  less  and  less.  These  scientific  discoveries  of 
which  we  hear  so  much,  the  improvements  and  changes 
which  are  constantly  coming  to  light,  are  removmg 
the  sweat  from  his  brow  and  the  tears  from  his  eyes 
and  the  burden  from  his  back.  He  is  being  gradually 
18 


274  THE  CREATURE. 

redeemed  from  tlie  bondage  of  the  first  curse.  Work- 
men to-day  are  able  to  do  more  work  per  hour  and 
with  less  difficulty  than  their  fathers,  and  they  live 
in  hope  of  a  fuller  redemption.  Let  me  now  take  a 
more  specific  view  of  the  Christian  and  his  hopes. 

The  apostle  spoke  these  words  for  the  comfort  and 
encouragement  of  the  Roman  Christians  who  were 
then  under  the  fire  of  persecution.  He  exhorts  them  to 
be  patient,  for  deliverance  is  sure — deliverance  from 
persecution,  sorrow,  and  sin.  In  verses  17  and  18  the 
apostle  says :  "  And  if  children,  then  heirs ;  heirs  of 
God  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ;  if  so  be  that  we  suf- 
fer with  him,  that  we  may  be  also  glorified  together. 
For  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory 
which  shall  be  revealed  in  us. "  Yes,  glory  revealed  by 
us  and  in  us.  What  a  wonderful  fact !  "  Glory  re- 
vealed in  us !  "  Here  is  what  eye  hath  not  seen  nor 
ear  heard,  neither  hath  entered  the  heart  of  any  man 
to  conceive.  The  perfection  of  the  believer  a  revela- 
tion of  the  Godhead.  The  Christian's  complete  de- 
liverance from  sin,  and  its  consequences  a  manifesta- 
tion of  glory — the  glory  of  forgiveness,  of  the  cross, 
of  life's  discipline,  of  God's  providential  arrange- 
ments, and  the  glory  of  human  nature  itself,  its 
possibilities,  its  adaptability,  its  suffering,  educating, 
refining  qualities. 

Moreover,  there  will  be  the    deliverance    of    the 


THE  CREATURE.  275 

body.  The  Christian  looks  forward  to  the  resurrec- 
tion, when  he  shall  be  given  a  body  pure,  glorious, 
like  unto  the  body  of  Christ.  This  hope  includes  the 
certainty  of  his  own  body;  not  another.  Another 
in  a  sense  of  being  new,  more  pure,  more  glorious,  yet 
not  another  in  the  sense  of  being  foreign  to  himself. 
His  own  body.  The  identity  will  be  preserved. 
Also  his  own  crown  and  harp  and  joy  and  sphere  of 
life. 


THE    CONDITIONS    OF   SPIRITUAL 
KNOWLEDGE. 

By  Rev.  John  Elwt  Lloyd,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

"If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doc- 
trine, whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  1  speak  of  myself.  " 
— John  vii.  17. 

To  the  Jews  the  social  position  of  our  Lord  was  a 
stumbling-block.  They  anticipated  a  Messiah  to  be 
their  special  deliverer,  and  to  make  His  appearance 
with  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  a  regal  demonstration. 
In  view  of  this,  their  knowledge  of  the  lowly  origin 
and  humble  occupation  of  Jesus  was  an  insuperable 
obstacle  to  their  acceptance  of  Him  as  their  Lord  and 
Redeemer.  They  never  survived  the  prejudice  against 
the  "carpenter's  son."  In  the  chapter,  from  which 
our  text  is  taken,  we  find  Jesus  teaching  in  the  temple, 
and  the  Jews,  eager  for  some  pretext  of  complaint 
against  Him,  contemptuously  asking :  "  How  knoweth 
this  man  letters,  having  never  learned?  "  By  "  know- 
ing letters  "  they  must  have  meant  that  He  had  not 
pursued  the  required  curriculum  to  qualify  Him  to 
teach  in  the  Temple.  Any  man,  of  mature  years  and 
common  intelligence,  was  allowed  to  teach  in  the  syna- 
376 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    211 

gog,  but  a  rule  of  the  Talmud  would  iudicate  that 
the  temple  teachers  had  to  pass  through  the  theologi- 
cal schools.  Whatever  was  meant  by  their  snarling 
criticism,  it  can  not  be  that  Jesus — who  when  twelve 
years  old  had  astonished  the  Temple  doctors — betrayed 
any  unproficiency  as  a  teacher. 

It  was  the  current  report,  of  friend  and  foe,  that 
Jesus  was  an  incomparable  teacher,  taught  with 
authority,  and  spake  as  never  man  spake.  We  may 
well  imagine  what  irresistible  authority,  majesty, 
and  sublimity  attended  the  very  presence  of  Jesus. 
He  could  read,  not  only  what  was  on  the  written 
page  before  Him,  but  what  was  on  the  fleshly  tablet 
of  every  heart  in  His  presence.  He  was  not  only  ac- 
quainted with  every  train  of  human  thought,  every 
event  of  history,  and  every  fact  in  the  physical 
world,  bat  was  also  familiar  with  the  infinite  depths 
of  the  divine  mind.  Such  a  one  was  this  teacher, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Nevertheless,  here  we  find  igno- 
rant and  bigoted  Jews,  with  brazen  effrontery,  daring 
to  question  His  right  and  fitness  to  teach  His  o\\n 
gospel  of  eternal  life.  Jesus,  in  conformity  with 
His  usual  forbearance,  instead  of  hushing  forever 
their  profane  cavils  by  the  breath  of  His  omnipotence, 
stoops  to  expostulate  with  them,  and  to  point  them  to 
an  inductive  test  that  would  bring  satisfactory  evi- 
dence of  the  truth  of  His  teaching.  Heretofore  He 
emphasized  His  own  character  and  works  as  proofs 


278    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

of  the  divine  authority  of  His  mission.  Again  and 
again  we  find  Him  pleading  and  saying :  "  Believe 
Me  for  the  works'  sake.  The  works  that  I  do,  tbey 
testify  that  I  am  come  of  the  Father. "  In  our  text, 
He  changes  the  line  of  evidence.  Now,  it  is  to  de- 
pend upon  the  character  and  conduct  of  the  would-be 
believer.  Here  is  a  test  which  bears  an  unfailing, 
convincing  force,  when  His  own  wondrous  words  and 
works  carry  only  the  logical  weight  of  remote  histori- 
cal testimony;  a  test  that  reaches  and  touches  each 
soul,  independent  of  natural  talents,  attainments,  or 
educational  advantages ;  a  test  which  will,  if  sincerely 
and  persistently  applied,  result  in  an  abiding  and  sat- 
isfying assurance  of  the  divinity  of  the  doctrine,  the 
saving  power  of  His  grace,  and  the  rightful  sovereignty 
of  Jesus  as  the  teacher  and  Savior  of  man :  "  If  any 
man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine." 
Expositors  agree  that  the  English  version  does  not 
adequately  express  the  volitional,  as  well  as  the  prac- 
tical suggestion,  of  the  Greek  text.  What  is  enjoined, 
is  not  a  perfunctory  obedience  on  the  one  hand,  nor  is 
it  on  the  other  an  idle  desire  to  obey,  without  a  cor- 
responding practical  effort.  It  means  the  surrender 
of  the  will  and  the  consecration  of  the  life.  The  dis- 
position and  the  conduct  must  harmonize.  The  theme 
of  the  text,  therefore,  is:  that  conformity  of  heart 
and  life  to  the  divine  will  is  the  condition  of  spir- 
itual knowledge.     That  is  the  law.     Want  of  compli- 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    279 

ance  with  it  accounts  foi-  the  failure  of  men  to  discern 
and  feel  the  potent  realities  of  the  higher  life.  These 
are  the  times  when  the  scientist,  the  rationalist,  the 
philosopher,  are  putting  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  in  their 
respective  balances,  and  they  report  to  us  that  it  is 
found  wanting.  The  secret  of  their  adverse  conclu- 
sion is  accounted  for  by  their  want  of  harmony  with 
that  law  of  the  inner  and  outer  life,  as  prescribed  by 
Him  who  is  "  the  light  of  every  man  that  cometh  into 
the  world. " 

I.  We  note,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  disposition 
of  the  will  affects  the  soul's  perceptive  powers ;  that 
is,  its  faculty  of  discerning  moral  and  spiritual  truths 
in  their  due  proportion  and  perspective.  Using  the 
term  in  its  popular  sense,  as  expressing  the  disposi- 
tion and  inclinations  of  the  soul,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
understand  the  modifying  influence  of  the  will  upon 
our  views  and  opinions.  When  any  one  of  the  vital 
organs  of  the  body  is  impaired,  the  whole  constitution 
sympathizes,  and  febrile  symptoms  are  felt  to  the  re- 
motest extremities  of  the  system.  The  soul,  like  the 
body,  is  a  sympathetic  unit,  and  when  the  will — that 
grand  motor  of  the  soul — is  disordered,  the  whole 
moral  nature  is  thereby  affected.  In  a  superficial 
way  this  is  illustrated  in  the  common  affairs  of  life. 
If  the  task  before  us  be  agreeable  to  our  taste  and  in- 
clinations, all  goes  on  smoothly  and  well.  If  it  be 
uncongenial,  and  contrary  to  our  disposition,  it  is  irk- 


280    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

some ;  every  tool  seems  to  come  to  the  hand  wrong 
end  first,  excuses  and  objections  teem  through  the 
mind,  and  we  fail  to  see  either  reason  or  justice  in 
the  duty  imposed  upon  us.  Out  of  certain  untoward 
dispositions  is  born  a  prejudice  which  is  inimical  to 
the  right  discernment  of  moral  truth.  The  shrewd 
and  astute  court  advocate  takes  cognizance  of  this, 
and  aims  to  emphasize  and  exploit  it  as  an  active  fac- 
tor to  be  taken  into  account  between  plaintiff  and  de- 
fendant. There  is  a  prejudice  which  absolutely  blinds 
men  to  the  virtues  or  the  faults  of  each  other,  as  the 
case  may  be;  a  prejudice  whose  lens  colors  everything 
according  to  the  hue  of  its  own  disposition.  If  this 
be  true  with  respect  to  our  fugacious  moods  and  the 
trivial  affairs  of  this  life,  how  much  greater  the  effect 
of  that  inborn  prejudice  and  that  deep-rooted  opposi- 
tion of  unregenerated  human  nature  toward  all  that 
is  divine  and  holy?  The  worldly  man  does  not  share 
in  the  divine  sympathies,  solicitudes,  and  purposes. 
They  run  counter  to  his  nature.  To  him  religion  is 
an  intrusion.  He  has  a  hereditary  distaste  for  the 
things  of  God.  Spiritual  truth  is  unpalatable.  The 
spiritual  law  of  life  would  turn  his  fairest  dreams 
into  a  hideous  nightmare ;  it  frowns  upon  his  most 
cherished  affections  and  habits,  rebukes  his  wishes  and 
desires,  prohibits  his  dearest  delights,  thwarts  his 
plans,  and  condemns  with  terrifying  threats  his  sweet- 
est and  most  succulent  sins.     Deep  in  his  soul  is  a 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    281 

mighty,  tho  unconscious,  prejudice  defined  in  Holy 
Writ  by  no  milder  phrase  than  "  enmity  toward  God." 

This  is  true  not  only  of  the  reprobate  and  conspicu- 
ous sinner,  but  also  of  those  whose  lives  as  social 
beings  may  be  decorous  and  admirable.  They  may 
be  ethically  correct  and  humanly  generous,  mentally 
strong  and  appreciative  of  all  intellectual  truth,  es- 
thetically  refined  and  interested  in  all  that  is  beau- 
tiful and  winsome  in  nature  and  life,  and  yet  under- 
neath all  there  may  be  that  condition  of  the  will  and 
heart  known  as  "  unbelief, "  that  inherited  antipathy 
which  leads  men  to  avert  God  and  all  divine  things. 

There  is  of  necessity  an  underlying  cause  for  the 
different  conclusions  arrived  at  concerning  funda- 
mental doctrines.  Given  two  men  of  equal  talents 
and  educational  advantages,  of  the  same  scientific  in- 
stincts and  training,  following  the  same  path  of  re- 
search, and  having  like  instruments  of  investigation, 
yet  we  find  that  they  arrive  at  diametrically  opposite 
conclusions.  Two  men  study  the  mysteries  of  our 
bodily  constitution.  Appalled  at  its  marvels,  one  cries 
out  with  the  Psalmist,  "  I  am  fearfully  and  wonder- 
fully made. "  The  other  man  studies  the  same  subject 
and  coolly  declares  that  this  wondrous  vital  mechanism 
is  a  result  of  the  accidental  concourse  of  blind  atoms. 
Two  men  critically  inspect  the  planet  upon  which  we 
live,  one  of  whom,  having  explored  the  geologic  strata 
with  their   storehouses,  witnessed   the  principle   of 


282    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

adaption  and  the  evidences  of  design  and  fore- 
thought everywhere  manifested,  and  having  gazed 
upon  the  world  of  forms  and  life  and  beauty,  multi- 
tudinous and  diversified  beyond  creative  arithmetic, 
exclaims  again  with  the  Psalmist :  "  0  Lord,  how 
manifold  are  Thy  works !  In  wisdom  hast  Thou  made 
them  all;  the  earth  is  full  of  Thy  riches."  But  the 
other  scientist,  following  the  same  path,  observing 
the  same  objects,  returns  denying  the  being  of  God,  or 
else  having  relegated  Him  out  of  His  own  universe  as 
a  place  too  mean  for  His  operations.  Two  men  gaze 
upon  yonder  heavens,  letting  eye,  thought,  and  imagi- 
nation wander  through  those  constellated  fields  of 
space.  One  man,  thrilled  with  the  awful  sublimity  of 
the  scene,  echoes  the  lofty  acclamation  of  the  Psalm- 
ist :  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
firmament  showeth  His  handiwork."  But  La  Place 
turns  the  lens  of  his  great  telescope  to  yonder  dia- 
gramed vault,  and  as  with  an  angel's  glance  scans  the 
temple  of  Omnipotence,  and  then  turns  his  face  to  the 
earth,  a  skeptic,  and  if  the  stars  spelled  out  the  first 
verse  of  Genesis,  they  could  not  proclaim  their  Creator 
more  emphatic  than  they  do.  Two  men  examine  the 
pages  of  the  sacred  Word.  One  reads  therein  his  own 
condemnation  in  characters  of  fire  and  his  pardon  in 
the  crimson  letters  of  atoning  blood;  he  feels  the 
pulses  of  redeeming  love  throbbing  from  the  Mosaic 
description  of  "  Paradise  Lost "  to  the  apocalyptic  vis- 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    283 

ion  of  "  Paradise  Kegained. "  Another  man  turns  his 
attention  to  the  same  book ;  but  to  him  it  is  a  volume 
of  mystic  jargon  and  exploded  superstition.  No  voice 
speaks  to  his  conscience,  no  loving  appeals  touch  his 
heart,  no  heaven  magnetizes  and  attracts  his  soul. 
He  turns  the  treasury  of  revealed  truth  into  a  quiver 
of  arrows  to  assail  and  ridicule  its  divine  author. 

Such  are  the  opposite  conclusions  of  men.  Where 
is  the  cause  of  the  difference?  Not  in  the  human  body, 
nor  in  the  earth,  nor  in  the  heavens  of  astronomy,  nor 
in  the  Bible,  for  these  were  the  same  to  both  inves- 
tigators. The  difference,  therefore,  must  be  in  the 
men.  It  is  a  subjective  and  not  an  objective  differ- 
ence ;  something  in  the  trend  of  the  will,  in  the  qual- 
ity of  the  disposition,  in  the  inclination  of  the  heart, 
as  related  to  divine  truth.  Immerse  a  straight  rod  per- 
pendicularly in  the  water,  and  it  will  appear  crooked. 
The  explanation  is  found  in  the  fact  that  water  is  too 
dense  to  correspond  with  the  air  as  a  correct  medium 
of  vision.  So  long  as  men  look  through  the  medium 
of  self-will  and  pride  and  secularism,  the  straight  will 
be  crooked,  the  clean  will  be  unclean,  and  the  very 
truth  of  God  will  be  a  lie. 

Some  years  ago,  when  leaving  Liverpool,  I  observed 
that  our  ship  was  moving  very  slowly  with  the  rising 
tide.  While  on  deck  I  could  tell  what  was  stationary 
and  what  was  in  motion ;  but  when  I  went  down  to 
my  cabin  and  looked  through  those  contracted  win- 


284    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

dows,  the  port-holes,  lo,  before  my  vision  the  streets 
and  the  firm,  solid  buildings  of  Liverpool  seemed  to 
be  passing,  floating  away  in  quick  succession.  Thus 
also  some  men  abandon  the  upper  light  of  heaven  and 
confine  their  vision  to  the  sin-perverted  port-holes  of 
their  own  intellects,  and  to  their  overconfident  minds 
all  that  the  best  and  wisest  of  men  have  found  firm 
and  immovable  is  rapidly  passing  away.  To  their 
jaundiced  eyes  the  Kock  of  Ages  itself  is  a  myth,  a 
mere  fog-bank  in  the  distant  past;  and  they  would 
tell  us  that  the  whole  continent  of  God's  inspired 
Word  is  soon  to  vanish  away.  But  what  is  the  truth? 
It  is  their  own  little  bark  that  is  drifting  away  to  the 
destructive  shoals  of  infidelity.  God's  "Word  stands 
firm  and  immovable,  for  in  it  is  found  the  light  of 
eternal  truth,  the  principles  of  eternal  righteousness, 
the  breath  and  spirit  of  eternal  life,  and  the  operative 
law  of  eternal  love.  It  never  will,  it  never  can,  pass 
away. 

II.  We  remark,  in  the  second  place,  that  the  prac- 
tical conduct  as  well  as  the  disposition  of  the  will 
affects  the  faculty  of  discerning  spiritual  truths.  It 
is  often  said  that  a  man  lives  as  he  believes ;  that  his 
conduct  is  the  practical  unfolding  of  his  creed.  The 
converse  is  equally  true.  Beliefs  and  opinions  are 
founded  on  habits.  Conduct  modifies  creed  until  a 
man  comes  to  believe  as  he  lives.  The  actual  prac- 
tical contact  with  evil  in  the  outer  life  stains  through 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    285 

to  the  soul  within.  This  is  illustrated  in  those  nations 
who  by  gradual  degeneracy  of  life  have  departed  from 
their  former  high  moral  standards.  Certain  commu- 
nities also,  by  reason  of  long-continued  customs,  have 
come  to  regard  some  of  the  most  execrable  habits  and 
indulgences,  not  only  as  perfectly  justifiable,  but  also 
commendable.  In  the  individual  character  the  effect 
of  conduct  on  the  religious  thought  and  sensibilities  is 
still  more  apparent.  Picture  to  your  mind  what  fre- 
quently happens.  A  young  man  of  religious  training 
leaves  his  Christian  home.  He  is  morally  impressible. 
God  is  real  aud  near.  Conscience  is  sensitive.  But 
he  finds  himself  under  new  environments,  and  a  dif- 
ferent set  of  influences  play  aroimd  and  upon  him. 
Temptations  allure  him.  He  consents,  but  with  com- 
punction of  soul.  He  yields  repeatedly,  and  the  voice 
of  the  accuser  within  grows  more  and  more  faint. 
Night  after  night  sees  him  tumbling  into  his  prayer- 
less  bed.  By  and  by  he  begins  to  excuse,  then  to 
justify  himself.  In  the  course  of  years  he  becomes 
defiant,  challenging  the  right  of  man  or  of  God  to  dic- 
tate his  conduct.  Finally,  he  denies  the  very  being 
of  the  Highest  and  uplifts  the  clenched  hand  against 
the  throne  of  the  universe.  Conscience  is  seared,  the 
mind  is  darkened,  and  the  noblest  instincts  of  his 
nature  are  extinguished.  Heaven  is  an  idle  word. 
Purity  and  reverence  have  dropped  out  of  liis  heart, 
and  the  world  as  well  as  his  soul  is  void  of  everything 


286    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

divine.  What  has  wrought  this  fearful  change?  Has 
he  been  ransacking  the  libraries  and  studying  the 
"  Evidences  "  and  found  them  wanting?  Has  he  been 
pondering  the  Bible  and  found  it  a  lie?  How  came  it 
that  he  at  last  has  discovered  that  religion  is  the  sol- 
emn swindle  of  the  ages?  Has  he  been  exploring  the 
larger  world,  even  to  the  remotest  star  that  quivers  on 
the  rim  of  the  universe,  in  search  of  a  God  and  found 
none?  No,  nothing  of  the  kind.  He  has  simply- 
been  pursuing  the  infernal  curriculum  of  iniquity. 
He  is  the  effect  of  a  sinful  life.  The  religious  faculty 
is  atrophied.  He  has  gouged  his  moral  eyes  and  shut 
God  out  of  his  soul.  The  spiritual  hemisphere  of  the 
soul's  life  is  eclipsed.  The  practical  denial  and  obscu- 
ration of  God,  involved  in  every  wilful  act  of  sin,  has 
worked  inwardly  upon  the  soul,  clouding  and  blinding 
it  to  every  evidence  of  spiritual  truth.  There  is  a 
degree  of  cold  which  will  freeze  the  thermometer. 
There  are  degrees  of  sinfulness  which  render  the  soul 
incapable  of  moral  impressions. 

We  have  used  these  extreme  cases  in  order  to  make 
palpable  the  influence  of  sin  in  every  case.  We  can 
illustrate  the  effect  of  physical  action  upon  the  tissues 
of  the  body  and  show  how  every  stroke  of  the  black- 
smith's arm  excites  physiological  causes  to  toughen 
and  harden  the  muscles.  So  we  have  wished  it  were 
possible  to  show  on  the  canvas  and  exhibit  in  some 
vivid  and  realistic  way  the  effects  of  thought,  motive, 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    287 

feeling,  and  moral  acts  upon  the  soul;  how,  so  to 
speak,  they  make  tlieir  deposit  and  bring  al)out  cer- 
tain changes  in  the  very  essence  of  the  soul  itself. 
Of  the  truth  of  this  we  are  sm-e ;  for  what  is  character 
but  the  aggregate  or  totality  of  the  current  thoughts, 
feelings,  and  acts,  solidified  into  the  very  timber  of 
the  soul?  "We  deplore  professed  infidelity,  but  we 
need  never  fear  that  it  will  win  many  followers.  The 
impression  of  God  is  too  deep  in  the  soul  to  be  sud- 
denly obliterated.  Man  is  as  truly  a  religious  being 
as  he  is  a  rational  being.  Man  would  have  to  be  taken 
apart  and  conscience  and  the  religious  instincts  left 
out  before  we  could  have  a  race  of  avowed  infidels. 
But  the  practical  infidelity,  which  is  implied  by  every 
Godless  life,  is  the  cause  of  incalculable  moral  ruin, 
sending  its  millions  to  eternity  unprepared.  Thus  a 
life  of  disobedience  to  the  divine  law,  a  life  out  of 
harmony  with  the  supreme  will  must  of  necessity,  by 
every  law  of  nature  and  of  grace,  shut  the  heavenly 
light  and  life  out  of  the  soul. 

III.  We  remark,  in  the  third  place,  that  submis- 
sion of  the  will  and  conformity  of  the  life  not  only 
exercise  a  natural  influence  on  the  mind,  but  are  the 
necessary  conditions  on  which  alone  it  is  possible  for 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  regenerate  and  illuminate  the  soul. 
We  dwelt  at  length  on  the  former  points  because  they 
represent  the  essential  elements  of  true  repentance — 
that  is,  an  entire  change  in  our  whole  method  of  think- 


288    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

ing,  feeling,  and  acting  toward.  God.  There  is  a  step 
which  man  can  and  must  take.  His  free-agency  is  an 
important  factor  in  the  determination  of  his  destiny. 
Whatever  may  be  our  doctrine  of  sovereign  grace, 
inspiration,  reason,  and  the  universal  consciousness 
attest  this  to  be  true.  Furthermore,  Christ  said,  re- 
specting the  salvation  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem, 
that  He  "  would, "  but  they  "  would  not. "  It  is  for  man 
to  open  the  door  to  let  Him.  He  has  the  awful  power 
to  thwart  His  will  and  shut  Him  out.  Jesus  invaria- 
bly required  from  the  subjects  of  His  miraculous  influ- 
ence some  evidence  of  their  submission.  He  com- 
mands the  paralytic  to  stretch  forth  his  hand.  He 
had  no  power  to  do  so,  but  with  the  faith,  the  will- 
ingness, and  the  effort  power  came.  He  directs  the 
blind  man  to  go  and  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam.  The 
man,  eager  for  his  sight,  might  have  expostulated  and 
said :  "  Master,  there  is  water  here  in  the  temple ; 
there  is  water  in  the  next  street."  It  is  not  known 
that  there  was  any  particular  medicinal  qualities  in 
the  water  of  Siloam.  But  the  man  obeyed  and  went 
fumbling  his  way  outside  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and 
if  he  had  declined  to  go  he  would  have  died  as  he  was 
born,  a  blind  man.  Jesus  said :  "  Take  My  yoke 
upon  you  and  learn  of  Me."  The  yoke  first;  men 
want  the  learning  before  putting  on  the  yoke.  "  The 
secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him. "  Men 
want  the  secret  before  they  are  willing  to  fear.     Thus 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    289 

there  must  be  a  certain  change  in  the  attitude  of  the 
will,  the  heart,  and  the  life.     Call  it  repentance,  con- 
viction, conversion,  or  what  you  please,   it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  as  a  preliminary  to  the  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.     And  until  the  Spirit  enlightens 
there  can  be  no  satisfying  discernment  of  spiritual 
things.     "  The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things 
of  God,  neither  can  he  know  them."     Why,  Paul? 
"Because  they  are  spiritually  discerned."     The  nat- 
ural- man  is  spiritually  unborn.     It  is  impossible  for 
spiritual  things  to  be  perceived  by  sense.     Things  are 
recognized  in  the  objective  world  by  appropriate  fac- 
ulties; physical  objects  by  physical  senses;  intellec- 
tual things  by  intellectual  organs;    spiritual  truths 
through  spiritual  faculties,  insight,  and  in  experience. 
The  limit  of  faculty  is  the  limit  of  knowledge.     Man 
takes  rank,  as  to  fulness  of  manhood  and  influence, 
according  to  his  capacity  to  see,  know,  feel,  and  act. 
The  history  of  his  advance  from  ignorant  childhood  to 
maturest  manhood  is  a  record  of  the  opening  and  the 
strengthening  of  the  powers  of  apprehension.     With 
many  people  the  faculties  remain  in  an  embryonic 
state,  and  their  world,  even  this  lower  world,  is  con- 
tracted, vulgar,  and  meaningless.     No  part,  however, 
of  man's  nature  is  so  pitiably,  deplorably  neglected  as 
its  spiritual  side.     It  is  utterly  dormant.     Spiritual 
influences  fall  upon  him  like  light  upon  blind  eyes  and 
music  upon  deaf  ears.     No  thrill  of  response  is  awa- 
19 


290    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

kened.  Every  sensibility  is  seared.  In  the  terse  and 
terrific  language  of  Scripture,  lie  is  "  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins."  This  is  the  only  solution  to  the  astound- 
ing unconcern  of  men  to  their  own  eternal  well-being; 
men  who  are  sagacious  and  keen  in  respect  to  all  other 
interests  of  life,  both  present  and  prospective.  They 
insure  their  lives  and  property  and  make  careful  pro- 
vision for  possible  emergencies,  but  they  permit  the 
awful  possibilities  of  eternity  to  take  their  chances. 
The  tremendous  alternative  of  heaven  or  hell  or  anni- 
hilation does  not  disturb  them.  Whether  you  sound 
in  their  ears  the  deep  notes  of  God's  avenging  law  or 
whisper  the  tender  accents  of  pardoning  love,  no  re- 
sponse is  awakened  in  the  sepulchered  soul.  Men  and 
women  spare  not  the  sigh  and  the  tear  over  the  plot 
and  tragedy  of  the  novel  and  the  stage,  yet  when 
we  portray  before  them  the  plot  of  plots  and  the 
tragedy  of  tragedies — the  plot  of  Gethsemane  and 
the  tragedy  of  Calvary — they  are  unmoved  and  un- 
touched. 

There  is  only  one  way  of  deliverance  from  this  dire 
condition,  this  spiritual  lethargy  and  fatal  coma  of  the 
soul — and  that  is  to  submit  to  the  dictates  of  the  Master, 
so  that  His  spirit  may  enter  the  soul  to  regenerate  and 
illuminate.  Yield  your  heart  and  life  to  Him.  Aban- 
don the  refuges  of  lies,  overcome  pride  and  the  deep- 
grained  prejudices  and  antipathies  of  your  nature. 
Accept  Him  simply  and   devoutly  by  faith;    enter 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    291 

upon  the  sublime  experiment  of  spiritual  living  and 
eternal  life.  You  say  that  you  have  no  faith;  then 
follow  with  scrupulous  fidelity  the  highest  light  which 
you  have.  Obey  the  light  that  is  in  you,  and  it  will 
lead  you  to  Him,  and  His  holy  spirit  will  help  your 
infirmity.  Live  purely,  honestly,  soberly,  right- 
eously, and  godliness  will  follow.  Purity  and  holiness 
are  the  refinements  of  angels,  the  etiquette  of  heaven. 
Every  deed  of  love,  every  sacrifice  of  inclination  to 
duty,  every  act  of  true  worship,  every  holy  aspiration, 
will  invigorate  faith,  brighten  hope,  clarify  the  vision, 
and  lift  you  to  higher  and  higher  altitudes  of  the  spir- 
itual life,  where  floods  of  wondrous  light  bathe  the 
soul. 

The  photographer,  in  preparation  of  his  work, 
cleans  the  plate  and  overlays  it  with  chemicals,  ren- 
dering it  sensitive  to  the  delicate  pencilings  of  light. 
It  is  then  placed  in  the  camera,  where  all  light  is  ex- 
cluded save  that  which  is  reflected  from  the  object  to 
be  imaged.  So  let  your  soul  be  made  clean  and  sen- 
sitive by  obedient  living;  bring  yourself  to  look  at 
God  through  the  lens  of  His  holy  Word  (excluding  the 
worldly  light  of  the  proud  intellect) ;  then  in  the 
silence  and  solitude  of  that  sacred  hour  the  light  of 
His  countenance  will  not  only  fall  upon  the  soul,  but 
will  transform  it  after  His  own  image. 

We  rejoice  that  this  text  is  in  our  Bible  and  that  it 
was  spoken  by  the  Master  Himself.     In  these  days. 


292    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

when  airy  sciolists  and  every  stripling  fresh  from  the 
academy  are  ready  to  fling  their  cheap  and  easy  criti- 
cism in  the  face  of  Christian  faith,  it  is  well  that  we 
can  ask  them  if  they  have  conformed  to  the  terms 
of  our  text :  Are  you  living  right?  It  is  not  a  ques- 
tion of  what  you  know,  but  what  you  are.  Is  the 
soul  fitted  to  receive  impressions  from  the  spiritual 
sphere? 

The  text  also  meets  that  class  of  soberer  and  older 
men  who  are  kept  from  religion  ostensibly  because  of 
its  hopeless  mysteries  and  supposed  untenable  histori- 
cal basis,  but  really  because  of  the  distemper  and  dis- 
inclination of  their  own  souls.  They  want  the  path 
cleared,  the  web  disentangled,  every  mystery  solved 
before  they  are  willing  to  take  the  first  step.  Bishop 
Butler  informs  us  that  probability  is  the  guide  of  life. 
Truly  it  is.  Men  speculate  and  take  great  risks  in 
enterprises  on  this  basis.  They  are  willing  to  face 
the  privations  and  hardships  of  a  journey  to  Klondike 
on  the  mere  probability  of  getting  gold.  Yet,  with 
respect  to  the  holy  and  exalted  enterprises  of  the 
Kingdom  of  heaven,  they  will  take  no  step  until  every 
difficulty  is  removed,  and  all  imagined  mysteries  are 
solved.  We  only  know  in  part  with  respect  to  the 
things  of  this  life,  but  we  do  use  that  "  part "  knowl- 
edge. We  understand  the  benevolent  utility  of  some 
of  the  domestic  animals,  such  as  the  sheep,  the  cow, 
and  the  horse ;  but  what  meaneth  the  writhing  serpent, 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    293 

the  ravenous  hosts  of  the  forest,  and  the  teeming 
millions  of  the  insect  world  we  do  not  know.  We  un- 
derstand our  relation  to  sun,  moon,  and  sister  planets 
pretty  well :  the  knowledge  is  necessary  for  our  ad- 
vanced civilization ;  but  what  meaneth  those  shining 
cohorts  that  are  cruising  eternally  through  the  realms 
of  infinite  space  we  do  not  know. 

Our  ignorance  on  these  things  does  not  deter  us 
from  using  and  acting  upon  what  we  do  know.     Why 
not  exercise  the  same  wisdom  in  religious  matters? 
We   know   this   world   is   under  the   sovereign   rule 
of   intelligence   and   infinite   power;    we  know  that 
sin  has  entered  the  soul  and   that  conscience  is  a 
moral  censor;    we  know  the  offers  of  divine  grace, 
and  that  we  stand  condemned  if  we  neglect  so  great 
a  salvation.     Why  carp  and  criticize   and  magnify 
trivial  objections  while  life— our  one  brief  life— is 
fleeting?     What  are  we   at  best?     A  few  wavelets 
of  that  mighty  river  of  being  beat  at  our  feet,  and 
we  are  gone.     Yet  we  arrogate  to  ourselves  the  privi- 
lege of  solving  the  problem  of  the  universe  and  ma- 
king our  little  minds  the  measure  of  all  possibili- 
ties.    Oh,  ye  who  have  followed  proud  criticism  and 
worldly  philosophy,  and  by  searching  have  failed  to 
find  God,  rescue  your  soul's  expiring  faculty  of  wor- 
ship by  putting  your  heart  into  Christ's  service.     0 
man  who  livest  in  the  world  of  sense  and  matter,  open 
thy  soul  in  devout  responsiveness  to  the  call  of  divine 


294    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

grace,  and  it  shall  be  like  the  opening  of  an  eye  upon 
a  new  world.  It  may  seem  but  a  trifling  matter  as  to 
whether  the  inclination  of  the  earth's  axis  shall  point 
away  from  or  toward  the  sun,  yet  it  makes  all  the 
difference  between  summer  and  winter.  So  the  incli- 
nation of  the  human  soul,  in  its  relation  to  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness,  makes  all  the  difference  between 
spiritual  blankness,  blackness,  barrenness,  death,  and 
spiritual  life  with  its  warmth,  joy,  beauty,  and  fruit- 
fulness.  Lean  toward  God.  Lift  your  eye  to  the 
shining  summits  of  His  life.  Keep  the  mind  open  to 
the  upper  light.  Keep  the  will  willing.  Keep  the 
heart  pure.  Keep  the  life  obedient  and  holy,  and  you 
shall  know  God  and  love  God,  and  in  that  love  find 
an  earnest  of  the  ineffable  bliss  of  heaven. 

In  conclusion  we  would  note  that  this  knowledge  of 
God  is  distinguished  by  three  characteristics : 

1.  It  is  independent  of  the  technical,  formal  knowl- 
edge of  the  schools.  It  is  not  the  product  of  the  halls 
of  learning  nor  of  the  temples  of  science.  Culture 
may  form  a  splendid  vessel,  but  the  oil  must  come 
from  the  hand  of  the  spirit  and  the  flame  from  the 
altar  of  heaven.  The  smoking  tapers  of  earth  can  not 
relume  the  candle  of  the  soul  extinguished  in  Eden. 
We  may  be  masters  of  every  department  of  human 
knowledge,  we  may  be  expert  theologians  and  cham- 
pions of  orthodoxy,  and  yet  not  have  this  mystery  of 
light,  this  insight  of  faith,  which  enables  the  soul  to 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    295 

feel  God  and  catch  the  meaning  of  all  things.  The 
difference  is  like  that  between  the  knowledge  of  one 
who  knows  botanically  all  about  a  given  fruit  and 
that  of  an  illiterate  woman  who  never  heard  of  botany 
but  has  eaten  of  the  fruit, 

2.  It  is  peculiar,  in  that  it  represents  all  the  ele- 
ments of  certainty  and  assurance.  It  is  knowledge, 
not  belief.  Belief  rests  on  testimony.  To  know  is  to 
have  immediate  perception  of  the  fact — it  has  touched 
our  being.  We  change  our  beliefs;  our  knowledge, 
never.  Thank  God  that  in  this  age  of  isms  and 
schisms,  of  ten  thousand  creeds  and  doctrines,  enough 
to  bewilder  the  most  analytic  and  discriminative  of 
intellects ;  in  these  days  when  daring  criticism  is  try- 
ing to  tear  down  every  foot  of  ground  upon  which  the 
soul  stands;  thank  God  that  there  is  something  firm 
and  immovable,  an  anchorage  within  the  veil.  Paul 
began  his  Christian  life  by  saying,  "I  believe,"  but 
he  closed  it  by  saying,  "I  know."  The  faith  of  the 
mature  Christian  does  not  depend  upon  historical  evi- 
dences or  the  argument  of  final  causes  nor  on  attorney- 
like logic.  His  hope  does  not  turn  upon  a  syllogism. 
It  is  a  consciousness,  a  life  within.  He  has  received 
the  impact  of  the  very  being  of  God. 

3.  This  knowledge,  when  real  and  vital,  exerts  a 
peculiarly  potent  influence  over  the  individual.  No 
great  truth  can  dawn  upon  the  soul  without  changing 
the  whole  aspect  of  life.     Nothing  that  is  great  comes 


296    CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE. 

alone.  When  Newton  discovered  the  principle  of 
gravitation,  it  did  not  stand  alone;  it  unlocked  the 
mystery  of  the  order  of  the  material  universe.  When 
the  sun  dawns  upon  the  world,  it  does  not  come  alone ; 
light  and  life  and  beauty  come  with  it.  So  when  the 
tremendous  truth  of  the  being  of  God  is  no  longer 
simply  an  article  in  our  creed,  but  a  fact  of  the  con- 
sciousness ;  when  we  spiritually  see  and  feel  God,  life 
is  transformed,  and  we  shall  no  longer  be  a  band  of 
spiritual  cowards. 

Blessed  are  they  who  have  this  knowledge  with 
all  its  soul-invigorating,  soul-sustaining  certitudes. 
They  have  the  alphabet  to  the  literature  of  angels, 
and  their  feet  are  on  the  rounds  of  a  ladder  which 
finds  its  other  end  amid  the  shining  galaxies  of  heav- 
en. Yet  it  is  possible  that  some  sincere  souls  may 
be  groping  in  the  darkness.  It  is  possible  to  be  hold- 
ing out  the  light  to  others  while  we  ourselves  are  in  the 
shadows ;  to  be  like  some  of  the  tellers  in  our  banks — 
dealing  out  wealth  to  others  while  they  have  hardly 
enough  to  live  upon.  One  thing,  however,  is  true: 
in  view  of  the  entanglement  of  truth  with  error  and 
the  conflicting  phases  of  human  thought;  in  view  of 
the  mysteries  of  Providence,  the  enigma  of  life,  and 
the  appalling  apprehensions  of  the  future — this,  0 
reader,  is  true,  and  we  rejoice  to  declare  it:  if  you 
are  moving  in  the  line  of  God's  will,  you  are  travel- 
ing with  your  face  toward  the  dawn,  toward  the  sim- 


CONDITIONS  OF  SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE.    207 

rise,  toward  that  day  whicli  shall  know  no  night. 
Tarry  on  then,  tho  the  way  may  be  dark ;  tarry  on  a 
little  while,  and  the  grand  perspective  of  that  shining 
world  will  burst  upon  your  rapt  soul  in  all  its  glory 
and  magnificence. 


THE    CHARACTERISTICS    OF   A   GREAT 

MAN. 

By  Vtbnwt  Morgan,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

"  There  was  a  man  in  the  land  of  Uz,  whose  name  was  Job. " 
-Job  i.  1. 

Sir  William  Hamilton  once  said  that  there  is 
nothing  great  in  the  world  but  man,  and  nothing  great 
in  man  but  his  mind.  From  time  immemorial  poets 
and  sages  have  given  expression  to  the  wonders  of 
creation ;  but  as  mind  is  greater  than  matter,  the  dis- 
coverer than  the  discovery,  so  man  is  greater  than  this 
great  world ;  bound  to  it  by  a  million  ties  of  the  sweet- 
est tenderness,  yet  distinct  from  it  because  in  posses- 
sion of  what  the  creation  has  not — viz.,  will,  imagi- 
nation, and  chiefly  self-consciousness;  capable  of  a 
perfection  which  creation  seldom  if  ever  attains — 
"whiter  than  snow."  Men  stand  before  a  statue  and 
lavish  their  praises  upon  the  artist  that  gave  that 
figure  its  elegant  form  and  exquisite  finish.  There 
can  be  no  conceivable  objection  to  such  praises;  but 
what  about  the  marble?  What  about  the  material 
that  was  capable  of  such  development?  Thanks  be 
to  God,  the  divine  Artist,  who  by  the  power  of  His 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  ilM.V     299 

spirit  and  His  saving  grace  can  cause  such  a  change 
in  man  so  that  he  may  be  presented  to  the  celestial 
intelligences  as  a  creature  'Svithout  spot  or  wrinkle." 
But  what  about  the  nature,  the  material  that  was 
capable  of  such  a  change  and  of  standing  such  trial 
and  improvement? 

There  is  a  student  at  college.  His  parents  live  in 
a  small  cottage  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  It  is  evening, 
and  the  shadows  of  the  night  are  cast  wide  and  deep 
over  the  quiet  glens  and  hills.  It  is  time  for  the 
weary  workers  to  retire  to  rest.  But  before  doing  so 
there  is  one  little  duty  that  has  to  be  performed — a 
letter  has  to  be  written  to  the  son.  The  old  man 
takes  the  writing  material  and  begins  to  tell  his  tale. 
While  he  does  it  the  old  woman  knits  and  the  daugh- 
ter reads  her  Bible.  By  and  by,  when  the  letter  is 
finished  and  read,  the  old  man  seals  it,  puts  the  wri- 
ting material  aside,  and  turns  to  his  wife,  saying: 
"  You  may  now  put  those  lights  out,  for  it  is  finished." 
What  is  the  real  meaning  of  all  this  preaching  and 
teaching?  God  is  in  the  act  of  writing  the  names  of 
His  saints  in  the  book  of  life ;  He  is  in  the  act  of 
creating  the  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus.  This  is  the 
one  supreme  ideal  of  the  Godhead — all  else  is  subordi- 
nate to  this;  it  is  the  great  desideratum  of  divine 
love,  and  when  this  holy  and  heroic  task  shall  have 
been  accomplished  God  will  turn  to  His  angels  and 
say:  "Now  you  may  put  out  those  lights  of  heaven, 


300     CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN. 

the  moon  and  stars,  for  the  purpose  of  the  cross,  of 
the  ministry,  of  the  church,  has  been  brought  to  pass, 
the  son  has  seen  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  man  has 
been  redeemed,  perfected,  and  made  blessed  forever- 
more;  out  of  great  tribulation  he  has  come  with  his 
robes  washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  made 
whiter  than  the  snow.  *  The  last  straggler  in  the 
rear-guard  has  arrived.'  " 

What  a  great  being  man  must  therefore  be !  And 
yet  what  low  estimates  of  him  the  world  had  previous 
to  the  coming  of  Christ!  Even  the  highest  Greek 
philosophy  did  not  respect  man  as  man.  Neither  did 
the  Romans  see  in  human  nature  any  intrinsic  worth 
or  beauty.  It  was  the  use  to  which  man  could  be  put 
that  determined  his  worth,  his  station,  wealth,  or 
birth.  The  philosophers  and  ecclesiastical  leaders 
had  taught  for  ages  that  the  Sabbath  was  greater  than 
man ;  that  the  government  was  greater  than  man ;  and 
so  was  the  state,  they  said,  and  out  of  these  estimates 
came  slavery,  the  arena,  the  degradation  of  woman- 
hood, the  contempt  for  childhood  and  for  human  life 
in  general.  Christ  came,  and  He  gave  the  world  a 
new  and  higher  estimate  of  man.  He  said  that  man 
was  greater  than  the  Sabbath,  greater  than  the  gov- 
ernment, greater  than  the  state.  "Man,"  He  said, 
"  is  not  to  exist  for  the  sake  of  the  government,  but 
the  government  for  the  man ;  the  state  is  a  provisional 
arrangement  destined  to  hold  a  continually  lessening 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN.  301 
place  in  human  life  as  man  grows  on  toward  perfec- 
tion." 

The  result  was  that  the  statesmen,  philosophers, 
and  ecclesiastical  leaders  of  His  age  branded  Christ 
as  a  heretic,   a  revolutionist,  and  a  disturber  of  the 
common  peace.     Such  teaching,  they  said,  struck  at 
the  very  foundation  of  society.     But  He  went  on  cast- 
ing the  seeds  of  these  blessed  truths  into  the  great 
furrows  of   human  life.      The   result  was  that   the 
downtrodden,   the  destitute,   and  helpless  turned  to 
Him  as  men  turn  their  faces  to  the  sun,  for  they  felt 
that  there  was  hope  still  left;  a  new  and  a  larger 
world  had  been  opened  up  for  them.     The  era  of  free- 
dom had  dawned  upon  their  class.     Such  teaching  did 
not  pass  fruitlessly  away;  out  of  it  came  the  abolition 
of  slavery,  the  destruction  of  the  arena,  the  sanctity 
of   marriage,  the   emancipation   of   womanhood,  the 
growth  of  democracy,  the  passion  for  rescuing  child- 
hood from  the  curse  of  ignorance,  and  the  obscurity 
into  which  it  had  sunk,  and  the  idea  of  personal  liberty, 
so  very  different  from  the  idea  of  personal  liberty  upon 
which  the  Greek  and  Koman  republics  had  been  built. 
What,  therefore,  is  the  Christian  conception  of  hu- 
man greatness?     Once  upon    a   time   valor  was  the 
quality  that  constituted  a  great  man.     After  the  child 
had  been  born  the  mother  placed  its  first  portion  of 
food   on   the  husband's  sword,  and  with  the    point 
gently  put  it  within  the  little  one's  mouth,  at  the 


302    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

same  time  praying  to  her  nation's  deities  that  tlie 
child  might  also  die  in  the  midst  of  arms. 

The  ancient  Greeks  worshiped  the  beautiful.  Not 
that  Christianity  depreciated  either  valor  or  beauty. 
God  is  the  Father  of  what  is  beautiful  as  much  as  of 
what  is  useful,  and  the  beautiful  is  often  as  useful  as 
the  useful.  Just  think  of  the  gorgeous  garniture  of 
creation  which  generations  of  metaphysicians  have 
failed  to  explain,  and  in  the  presence  of  which,  among 
the  Rocky  Mountains  of  the  West  of  America,  I  my- 
self have  seen  strong  men  moved  to  tears !  Yes,  God 
loves  the  beautiful,  and  He  intends  that  we  should 
love  it  too.  A  good  many  people  I  have  noticed  in 
my  travels  abroad  and  at  home  are  a  good  deal  uglier 
than  they  have  any  business  to  be,  and  I  use  the  word 
"  ugly  "  in  the  only  sense  it  is  proper  to  use  it  in — to 
denote  personal  appearance.  Nevertheless,  the  Chris- 
tian conception  of  a  great  man  is  not  founded  upon 
the  "beautiful,"  but  upon  character.  What  is  the 
greatness  of  God?  Is  it  the  greatness  of  force?  No. 
I  fear  God  on  account  of  His  force,  but  I  respect  and 
worship  Him  only  because  of  His  character.  The 
glory  of  God  is  the  glory  of  character.  As  such  Job 
is  introduced  to  our  notice  here.  "  There  was  a  man 
in  the  land  of  Uz. "  A  man  of  pure  private  habits,  of 
noble  instincts,  of  generous  disposition;  a  man  who 
lived  honorably,  usefully,  prayerfully,  God-fearingly ; 
a  man  of  the  best  type  and  quality ;  the  very  noblest 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   ORE  AT  MAN.     303 

specimen  of  man  God  could  pick  up  for  example  and 
inspiration  to  the  world.  I  would  travel  a  long  way 
if  I  could  find  such  a  man.  But  are  there  not  plenty 
of  men  about?  Yes,  plenty  of  beings  in  the  form  of 
men,  but  few  of  the  genuine  kind.  What  we  see  in 
abundance  around  us  is  "fractions  of  men,"  and,  as 
one  puts  it,  "very  vulgar  ones,  too." 

Well,  then,  what  constitutes  a  truly  great  man — a 
man  not  as  he  moves  along  our  streets,  but  a  man  as  he 
exists  ideally  in  the  mind  of  God ;  a  man  not  as  he  is, 
but  a  man  as  he  ought  to  be  and  as  God  intends  him  to 
be?  Is  it  money?  !Most  assuredly  money  is  a  power ; 
it  commands  learning,  authority,  and  health.  1 
would  rank  money  power  next  to  intellectual  power. 
But  money  in  itself  does  not  make  a  man  great. 
True  Job  was  a  rich  man,  the  richest  man  of  the 
East;  but  he  was  a  great  man  nevertheless,  and  that 
in  spite  of  his  riches.  Few  people  can  stand  prosper- 
ity. Pew  people  improve  with  their  circumstances. 
I  am  told  that  there  is  a  tombstone  somewhere  on  the 
continent  of  Europe  on  which  are  inscribed  these  sug- 
gestive Avords,  "Born  a  man,  died  a  store-keeper." 
Is  it  not  true  that  nine  out  of  every  ten  lose  the  bit  of 
manhood  they  have  in  the  accumulation  of  property? 
The  passion  for  riches  has  such  hold  upon  them  that 
they  are  willing  to  sacrifice  health,  comfort,  honor, 
and  even  their  souls  in  order  to  acquire  them.  Money 
does  not  make  a  man  great.     What  then?     Knowl- 


304    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

edge?  Knowledge  is  power.  It  removes  diseases,  it 
produces  civilization,  it  brings  happiness ;  but  knowl- 
edge does  not  constitute  greatness.  Job  had  knowl- 
edge; he  had  traveled  extensively;  he  understood 
human  nature;  he  judged  the  people;  he  solved  their 
personal  and  social  troubles;  his  word  was  final.  He 
was  in  this  respect  the  greatest  among  all  the  great 
Oriental  stars.  Still,  according  to  the  lesson  of  this 
book  Job  was  not  great  through  his  riches  or  his 
knowledge,  but  because  his  whole  conduct  was  stamped 
by  the  most  unshaken  probity,  because  of  his  hatred 
of  what  is  mean,  unkind,  cruel.  What  made  him 
great  as  God  counts  greatness  was  intense  sympathy 
with  the  poor,  the  fallen,  the  oppressed,  and  his  pray- 
erful, God-fearing  disposition. 

To  produce  such  characters  is  God's  purpose  in  cre- 
ation. To  this  end  He  established  the  ministry,  and 
to  obtain  this  sublime  object  God  demands  the  best 
effort  of  statesmanship,  of  philosophy,  of  science,  of 
education,  of  home,  of  music,  and  of  all  institutions. 
In  looking  into  the  future  of  the  world  I  see  that 
power  will  be  vested  in  the  holy  man,  not  the  man  of 
knowledge.  Holiness,  not  cleverness,  will  govern  as 
time  rolls  on.     Goodness  will  be  the  ruling  element. 

"  There  was  a  man  in  the  land  of  Uz  whose  name 
was  Job." 

I.  Job  as  a  "  Christian  "  father.  In  the  age  to  which 
Job  belonged  Christianity  had  not  developed  beyond 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN.     305 

the  domestic  form ;  the  social  or  national  aspect  of  it 
was  unknown,  therefore  the  father  was  the  priest  of 
his  own  household.  How  Job  performed  this  phase 
of  his  duty  we  know  by  referring  to  verses  4  and 
5.  "  And  his  sons  went  and  feasted  in  their  houses, 
every  one  his  day ;  and  sent  and  called  for  their  three 
sisters  to  eat  and  to  drink  with  them.  And  it  was  so, 
when  the  days  of  their  feasting  were  gone  about,  that 
Job  sent  and  sanctified  them,  and  rose  up  early  in  the 
morning,  and  offered  burnt  offerings  according  to  the 
number  of  them  all :  for  Job  said,  It  may  be  that  my 
sons  have  sinned,  and  cursed  God  in  their  hearts. 
Thus  did  Job  continually." 

Job  had  a  joy  which  was  not  given  to  such  men 
as  Abraham  and  Isaac— vts.,  the  joy  of  seeing  his 
children,  tho  grown  up  and  married,  living  at  peace 
among  themselves,  cultivating  the  habit  of  social  in- 
tercourse and  friendship.  Such  proceedings  met  with 
his  approval.  Christianity  takes  note  of  the  fact  that 
man  is  a  social  being.  Christianity  seeks  to  make 
men  happy.  It  can  be  no  joy  to  God  to  see  men  mis- 
erable. For  ages  people  have  imagined  that  in  order 
to  be  acceptable  to  the  Lord  they  had  to  be  sad,  mo- 
rose, melancholy.  The  best  Christian,  they  thought, 
was  the  man  who  could  heave  the  heaviest  sighs  and 
utter  the  longest  prayers.  To  this  hideous  spider  we 
say,  Begone !  God  loves  to  see  men  happy,  joyful,  and 
filled  with  hope. 
20 


806     CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

Moreover,  Job  considered  tliat  the  spiritual  condi- 
tion of  his  children,  the  married  and  having  left  the 
old  home,  was  still  a  matter  of  concern  to  him.  Too 
many,  unfortunately,  think  that  once  their  daughters 
get  married,  their  obligation  to  protect  their  morals 
has  ceased.  Is  it  not  so?  "  It  may  be, "  said  he,  "  that 
they  have  sinned,  and  cursed  God  in  their  hearts." 

Yes,  sin  is  the  great  taproot  of  human  misery.  No 
matter  what  the  system  may  be,  if  the  man  does  not  live 
righteously,  sin  breaks  up  the  best  system.  Men 
need  better  dwellings,  better  wages,  and  more  li- 
braries; but  so  long  as  sin  remains,  the  evU  is  still 
there.  Job  offered  burnt-offerings  according  to  the 
number  of  them  all,  "and  thus  did  Job  continually." 
What  a  great  word  this,  "continually"!  What  im- 
mense possibilities  are  locked  up  in  it !  This  word  is 
not  found  in  the  dictionary  of  every  Christian.  "  Oc- 
casionally" is  a  word  that  may  be  seen  in  every 
church -member's  dictionary;  they  prefer  that.  They 
come  to-day  making  demonstrations  of  affections  for 
the  Son  of  God  and  uttering  vows  of  fidelity  to  the 
promptings  of  conscience.  One  would  think  by  their 
eloquent  talk  that  they  would  close  every  saloon  in 
the  city  and  drive  out  of  the  world  every  devil  that 
destroys  the  peace  of  men;  but,  like  lightning-bugs, 
they  disappear  all  of  a  sudden,  and  you  know  not 
where  to  find  them.  They  shine  for  a  moment,  and 
then  they  are  gone.     They  suffer  for  a  few  days  or  a 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.     307 

few  weeks  from  fits  of  integrity,  then  they  lapse  into 
indifference,  drunkenness,  or  licentiousness.  Human- 
ity has  no  hope  from  such  men  and  such  spasmodical 
efforts ;  they  do  positive  mischief  both  to  themselves 
and  to  society.  What  God  demands  and  society  needs 
in  those  who  bear  the  name  of  Christians  is  the  stay- 
ing quality,  that  silent,  intense,  constant  force  which 
works  whether  others  work  or  not,  whether  it  is  rain 
or  sunshine;  men  who  work  because  it  is  the  will  of 
God  that  they  should.  "Thus  did  Job  continually." 
What  did  Job  do  continually?  He  prayed  for  and 
with  his  children  continually ;  he  sought  to  put  their 
hearts  right  with  God  continually.  What  miserable 
sophistry  there  is  in  much  of  our  modem  domestic 
discipline !  The  cant  that  one  often  hears  about  the 
"  rights  of  children" !  Have  children  no  duties?  Do 
they  owe  no  obligations  or  allegiance  to  their  parents, 
masters,  guardians,  rulers,  and  institutions?  Are 
they  not  to  be  taught  and  compelled  to  be  modest, 
obedient,  and  honorable?  It  is  possible,  I  know,  to 
go  to  extremes  on  both  sides,  but  of  the  two  I  prefer 
the  extreme  of  rigidity ;  there  is  more  in  it  for  the 
children  themselves  and  for  the  world.  Once  a  child 
has  got  the  impression  that  he  may  read  what  books 
he  pleases,  come  and  go  whenever  he  chooses,  form 
any  associations  he  likes,  attend  church  or  not  as  it 
suits  him,  and  all  in  the  name  of  freedom  of  conscience 
or  personal  and  social  liberty,  that  child  is  already 


308    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN. 

damned.  This  is  one  of  our  present-day  evils  that 
we  ministers  should  seriously  consider.  It  has  more 
to  do  with  keeping  people  out  of  the  churches  than 
any  other  cause.  If  our  children  will  drift  as  far 
from  our  ideas  of  duty  or  obedience  or  from  our  pres- 
ent landmarks  of  faith  as  we  have  drifted  from  the 
ideas  and  landmarks  of  our  fathers,  they  will  be  out- 
side the  church  altogether;  they  will  think  nothing 
essential,  neither  belief  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible 
nor  the  supernatural  element  in  religion,  nor  prayer, 
nor  worship,  nor  churchgoing,  nor  discipline  of  any 
kind,  nothing  but  pleasure ;  that  will  be  the  one  thing 
needful.  These  are  the  present  indications,  and  it  is 
a  crime  to  ignore  them.  What  are  the  two  great  cry- 
ing evils  in  relation  to  our  young  people?  They  are 
these — a  tendency  to  exaggerate  the  place  of  physical 
culture  and  of  the  intellect  in  the  formation  of  char- 
acter and  in  the  production  of  our  civilization. 

There  can  be  no  objection  to  the  gospel  of  physi- 
cal culture.  Athleticism  is  good;  it  is  necessary.  I 
would  hesitate  to  place  my  soul  in  the  hands  of  a  re- 
ligion that  had  no  concern  for  my  body.  The  body, 
like  the  soul,  occupies  a  high  and  a  sacred  place  in 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  We  can  not  deal  with  man  as  if 
he  were  pure  intellect  or  spirit.  The  race  can  not  be 
perfected  until  there  is  greater  respect  for  the  phys- 
ical or  the  laws  which  govern  it.  I  wish  we  would 
talk  less  about  saving  souls  and  talk  more  about  sa- 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.     309 

ving  men.  Physical  culture  early  became  the  business 
of  the  Greeks.  Their  one  supreme  informing  idea  was 
beauty  of  form,  and  it  manifested  itself  in  their  paint- 
ings and  architecture  of  every  kind.  With  the  Spar- 
tans physical  training  or  culture  began  as  soon  as  the 
children  could  walk.  But  there  are  signs  that  ath- 
letics are  having  a  bad  influence  on  the  mind  of  many. 
Excessive  physical  training  injures  our  young  men 
both  physically  and  morally.  A  man  may  be  muscu- 
lar without  being  healthy,  and  a  man  may  be  healthy 
without  being  muscular.  The  athlete  is  often  healthy 
in  spite  of  his  athleticism.  Something  more  than 
physical  training  is  needed  to  make  our  young  people 
useful  members  of  society;  they  need  mind-culture, 
soul -training.  One  noted  Welsh  divine  said  he  would 
rather  be  a  horse  to  a  drunkard  than  a  mind  or  a  soul 
to  many  a  man.  The  way  the  drvmkard  treated  his 
horse  was  bad,  but  not  worse  than  the  way  many  a 
man  treats  his  soul.  Plenty  of  means  and  time  and 
inclination  to  feed,  mesmerize,  and  indulge  the  body, 
but  no  time  or  means  to  spare  to  feed  the  soul.  May 
the  day  soon  dawn  when  the  reign  of  the  soul  has  be- 
gun !  Not  until  then  can  it  be  said  that  good  times 
have  come. 

Another  danger  is  to  exaggerate  the  place  of  the 
intellect. 

The  battle  for  bread  is  on,  and  parents  are  anxious 
to  equip  the  children  for  the  fray ;  they  want  to  have 


310    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

their  feet  shod  for  the  road.  How  to  do  it  is  the 
question.  Nineteen  out  of  every  twenty  think  the 
only  way  is  by  making  them  smart,  by  filling  their 
minds  with  knowledge.  There  is  also  an  increasing 
tendency  in  many  or  most  departments  to  measure 
young  people  by  the  power  of  their  mind.  What 
about  the  morals?  With  nineteen  out  of  every  twenty 
it  is  a  secondary  matter,  because  there  is  no  cash  value 
in  it.  It  is  the  money  side  of  the  question  that  speaks. 
Very  sad,  yet  very  true.  Nothing  can  be  said  against 
mathematical  or  literary  ability.  Intellectuality  is  a 
great  force.  But  side  by  side  with  it  there  may  or 
does  exist  a  most  lamentable  want  of  noble  purpose. 
Abraham  had  not  the  mental  equipment  of  Aristotle; 
but  Aristotle  justified  slavery,  whereas  Abraham 
abandoned  the  east  and  went  westward,  because  he 
felt  the  promptings  of  progress  within  him.  Educa- 
tion can  not  change  human  nature  or  give  a  man  right 
principles  or  right  feelings.  Education  alone  does 
not  produce  that  restlessness  of  spirit  in  the  presence 
of  social  wrong  and  political  injustice  which  is  the 
forerunner  of  progress.  There  is  more  to  be  expected 
from  holy  men  with  small  intellectual  attainments 
than  from  unholy  men  with  great  mental  gifts.  And 
what  is  the  purport  of  education?  Is  it  merely  to  fill 
the  mind  with  information?  It  certainly  means  that, 
but  more.  It  means  the  creation  of  a  higher  standard 
of  morality,  cleaner  social  habits,  a  more  God-fearing 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    311 

spirit,  a  better  quality  of  citizenship,  the  building  up 
of  a  national  conscience,  the  purification  and  preser- 
vation of  our  family  life.  Public  schools  and  colleges 
are  only  means  to  an  end.  Mathematical  or  literary 
ability  is  not  enough  without  the  moral  qualifications 
which  make  its  owner  considerate,  righteous,  virtuous, 
philanthropic.  Mere  intellectuality  can  and  does 
often  exist  in  perfect  contentment  in  the  midst  of  the 
cruelest  inhumanity.  To  school  a  child  is  one  thing, 
but  to  educate  it  is  another.  It  is  possible  for  you  to 
teach  your  child  in  the  right  way  and  train  it  in  the 
wrong.  Nature  is  stronger  than  theory.  The  heart 
has  more  influence  than  the  head.  When  Augustine's 
mother  gave  him  money  to  go  to  complete  his  educa- 
tion, he  looked  at  the  money  first,  then  at  his  mother, 
and  said :  "  I  have  a  grievance  against  you  and  my 
father.  You  have  never  failed  to  provide  me  with 
means  for  my  education,  but  you  have  never  prayed 
with  me.  You  have  often  asked  if  my  lesson  was 
done,  but  not  whether  I  had  said  my  prayers.  Wlien 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  my  passions  were  almost  over- 
whelming in  their  influence  upon  me  and  I  felt  I 
wanted  some  one  to  talk  to,  some  one  to  whom  I  could 
unburden  myself,  you  gave  me  no  encouragement  to 
consult  you,  for  you  never  asked  me  how  it  went  with 
my  soul." 

I  am  afraid  that  there  are  many  Augustines  through- 
out the  country — boys  and  girls,  young  men  and  young 


312    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

women,  in  whom  the  parents  are  trying  to  cultivate 
the  passion  for  success,  and  only  success ;  looking  after 
their  education,  but  paying  no  attention  to  the  evolu- 
tions of  their  spiritual  nature  or  the  development  of 
the  righteous  element  within  them.  Ask  many  of  our 
young  people  why  they  do  not  attend  church  services, 
and  their  parents  will  at  once  excuse  them  by  saying 
they  have  so  many  lessons  and  classes  to  attend  to. 
It  is  righteousness,  and  not  intellectuality,  that  is  going 
to  break  the  fetters  of  the  oppressed,  to  purify  social 
life,  to  crush  the  tyrant,  to  emancipate  the  nations 
from  the  curse  of  drink,  of  war,  and  of  mammonism, 
and  to  say  to  every  species  of  iniquity :  "  Avaunt, 
begone  forever!"  Whether  the  incoming  generation 
is  going  to  be  sober,  industrious,  ashamed  to  beg, 
proud  to  rely  upon  its  own  resources,  God-fearing, 
and  Christ-loving  does  not  depend  upon  our  colleges 
or  universities,  but  upon  the  kind  of  influence  that 
will  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  children  at  home. 
It  is  still  true  that  the  hand  that  rocks  the  cradle  rules 
the  world.  Personally  I  would  trace  every  sort  of 
vice  or  virtue  which  manifests  itself  in  school  or  pub- 
lic life  either  to  home  or  heredity.  See  that  your 
children  are  being  born  right  the  first  time,  then  you 
need  not  be  so  anxious  about  their  being  born  again. 

II.  Job  as  a  sufferer.  "  You  have  heard, "  says  the 
apostle,  "of  the  patience  of  Job."  This  does  not 
mean  that  Job  had  no  other  quality  to  recommend 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    313 

him.  Hosea  says  that  Ephraim  Avas  a  cake  not 
turned,  a  cake  baked  only  on  the  one  side  and 
doughy  on  the  other.  There  are  plenty  of  men  like 
that;  their  cultivation  is  one-sided.  They  are  strong 
abstainers  from  drink — which  is  a  good  thing — but 
they  are  most  unsympathetic  and  very  miserly.  One 
might  as  well  try  and  rescue  a  soul  out  of  hell  as  to 
get  a  dollar  out  of  them  for  any  good  cause.  Much 
as  I  abhor  the  drunkard,  I  believe  that  he  is  nearer 
the  Kingdom  of  God  than  the  miser.  I  have  heard  of 
and  personally  known  many  drimkards  that  were  con- 
verted, but  I  have  never  read  of  or  known  a  miser 
that  was  converted ;  and  surely  the  miser  needs  con- 
version as  much  if  not  more  than  the  drunkard, 
for  money  has  a  deeper  hold  upon  the  miser  than 
drink  has  upon  the  drunkard.  There  are  philanthro- 
pists who  are  engaged  in  looking  after  the  vineyards 
of  other  people  while  neglecting  the-x-  own — their 
homes  and  their  own  personality.  There  are  men 
who  petition  Congress  for  laws  to  punish  highway  rob- 
bers, but  they  themselves  deal  rather  extensively  in  a 
commercial  chicanery  which  is  equally  vicious.  "We 
have  too  many  of  these  utilitarian  philosophers  abroad 
these  days. 

Job  was  not  a  man  of  that  type;  of  him  it  could  be 
said  what  Dante  said  of  one  of  his  grandest  char- 
acters :  "  0  noble  conscience,  and  without  a  stain ! 
How  sharp  a  sting  is  trivial  fault  to  thee  I  "     Yet  the 


314    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN. 

sinner  himself  found  in  Job  a  friend  and  a  brother. 
He  was  rich,  yet  accessible  to  the  poorest  of  the  poor ; 
educated,  refined,  well-informed,  yet  in  touch  with 
the  most  ignorant  of  the  ignorant.  There  was  in  Job 
a  combination  of  excellences  which  is  seldom  if  ever 
seen ;  which  was  seen  in  a  perfect  condition  only  in 
Christ.  I  would  place  Job  next  to  Christ;  the  nearest 
approach  to  him  was  Moses.  Moses  was  a  greater 
genius  than  Job,  but  Job  had  a  fuller  character,  a 
greater  and  a  more  perfect  balance  of  moral  qualities. 
He  was  complete  in  all  his  parts ;  he  had  no  oddities, 
no  pet  virtues,  no  extreme  of  one  virtue  with  little  or 
nothing  of  the  opposite  virtue.  This  is  what  makes 
a  Christian  man  beautiful.  May  the  Lord  multiply 
such  Christians !  I  have  noticed  men  of  average  all- 
round  abilities,  with  no  special  distinction  in  one 
particular  quality,  doing  more  good  and  making  a 
greater  mark  in  the  world  than  others  who  were  strong 
in  some  points  while  weak  in  others. 

Still,  Job  went  down  to  posterity  as  a  man  of 
patience.  What  is  the  cause?  Well,  men  often  get 
a  particular  reputation  through  certain  contingencies. 
Thus  it  was  Abraham  was  called  a  man  of  faith  and 
Job  a  man  of  patience.  God  so  placed  His  servant 
Job  that  his  money  could  not  help  him,  nor  his 
knowledge,  nor  his  political  influence ;  but  his  patience 
could.  God  asked  Satan,  "  Hast  thou  considered  my 
servant  Job?  "    "  Who  is  Job?  "    "  Job  is  a  Christian 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    315 

man."  "  But  what  is  a  Christiau  man?  "  "  A  Chris- 
tian man  is  a  man  who  believes  in  the  personality  of 
God,  in  immortality,  in  prayer,  in  reward  and  punish- 
ment. He  believes  that  all  things  work  together  for 
good.  He  believes  that  justice,  truth,  love,  are  the 
basis  of  Providence."  "Well,"  said  Satan,  "if  that 
be  so,  if  that  be  his  theological  position,  I'll  teach 
him  another  lesson :  I'll  force  him  to  abandon  that 
position ;  I'll  expose  those  low,  prudential  motives  that 
prompt  his  unctuous  talk ;  I  will  strip  him  of  all  he 
hath — money,  health,  children,  home,  political  pres- 
tige, wife's  affection,  and  reputation." 

That  was  the  plan  of  attack,  and  it  was  well  con- 
ceived, as  all  the  devil's  plans  are.  So  successive 
messengers  bring  to  the  patriarch  their  sad  tidings, 
and  at  last  the  crowning  wo  comes.  A  man's  peril 
often  lies  most  in  what  threatens  him  least.  Who 
would  have  thought  that  such  a  rich  man  as  Job  would 
ever  be  short  of  cash?  And  in  a  moment  of  atheistic 
bitterness  his  wife  calls  upon  him  to  abandon  his  reli- 
gious position,  to  curse  God  and  die.  The  man  who 
has  a  good  wife  tells  me  that  he  knows  what  he  would 
do  with  a  bad  one  if  he  had  her,  and  the  man  who  has 
a  bad  wife  tells  me  he  has  no  idea  what  to  make  of 
her.  Nothing  tries  the  marriage  vow  so  much  as  pov- 
erty. Wives  feel  it  hard  to  see  other  husbands  pros- 
pering while  their  own  hardly  makes  two  ends  meet. 
If  we  knew  all,  we  would  find  that  this  accounts  for 


316    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

much  domestic  unhappiness  and  for  many  separations. 
Still,  in  all  this  Job  did  not  sin  with  his  lips.  He 
still  remained  the  same  prayerful,  believing,  tranquil 
soul  that  he  used  to  be,  leaving  all  to  the  fashioning 
of  God's  sovereign  Spirit. 

What  were  the  elements  that  constituted  Job's  suf- 
ferings? 

(a)  Poverty.  Poverty  is  no  disgrace,  but  pauper- 
ism is.  Many  are  poor  because  of  their  sin ;  some  are 
in  sin  because  of  their  poverty.  The  race  for  riches 
is  not  run  on  equal  grounds.  There  are  hundreds  in 
our  large  cities  who  work  long  hours  for  a  mere  pit- 
tance, not  enough  beyond  what  is  necessary  to  secure 
food  to  eat ;  they  do  their  best ;  they  have  no  relations 
or  connections  to  fall  back  upon ;  the  result  is  that 
they  walk  the  streets  at  night  in  order  to  get  money 
enough  to  buy  clothing,  and  while  this  goes  on  their 
own  employers  are  piling  up  their  millions.  Preach- 
ers have  said  for  two  thousand  years  that  Christianity 
can  do  great  things.  In  God's  name,  do  you  not  think 
it  is  high  time  Christianity  should  do  something 
great?  Poverty  does  not  mean  the  same  thing  to 
everybody.  Some  are  born  in  poverty,  and  they 
do  not  feel  it;  others  have  been  brought  up  in  the 
midst  of  plenty,  and  they  feel  the  sting  of  it.  Job 
was  once  a  rich  man,  a  lord  of  many  vassals,  a  great 
political  power,  a  man  whose  reputation  had  gone  far 
and  wide.     When  the  young  saw  him,  they  hid  them- 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN.    317 

selves,  the  aged  arose  and  stood  up.     The  princes  re- 
frained from  talking,  and  the  nobles  held  their  peace. 
Now  all  is  changed.     Job  has  fallen ;  and  what  a  fall! 
There  were  many  sad  homes  in  the  land  of  Uz  that 
day,  for  it  was  not  merely  the  fall  of  a  righteous  man, 
but  of  a  large-hearted  philanthropist.     You  never  saw 
an  orphan  girl  shedding  tears  over  the  fall  or  the 
death  of  a  righteous  man,  but  you  did  see  her  shed 
tears  over  the  fall  or  the  death  of  a  man  like  Job. 
Why  does  the  widow  look  so  sad  to-day  and  the  poor 
converse  together  in  such  depressing  tones?     Well,  a 
great  tragedy  has  been  enacted.     Job  has  lost  all  his 
stock  and  means.     He  is  now  a  poor  man.     No  more 
paupers,  widows,  and  fatherless  will  be  seen  passing 
through  the  gates  of  that  mansion.    But  of  all  the  losses 
Job  sustained,  his  greatest  was  the  loss  of  his  reputa- 
tion.    It  was  suggested  by  his  critics  that  there  was 
something  wrong  somewhere,  so  they  treated  him  sus- 
piciously.    Those  who  used  to  say  *'  Good-morning !  " 
now  passed  by  in  silence.     Thank  God!  a  man  may 
lose  his  reputation  and  keep  his  character.     Christ 
and  Moses  and  John  Peury,  the  Welsh  martyr,  and 
others  of  God's  children,  lost  their  reputations,  a  cloud 
of  suspicion  rested  over  their  name  and  fame.     Cir- 
cumstances over  which  they  had  no  control  or  enemies 
who  sought  their  destruction  had  brought  about  a  feel- 
ing of  suspicion  and  distrust  with  regard  to  them. 
There  are  many  such  examples  to  be  had. 


318    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

The  poet,  in  speaking  of  tlie  lost,  says :  "  There  is 
no  greater  sorrow  than  to  be  mindful  of  the  happy- 
time  in  misery."  Contrast  makes  the  measure  of  our 
joys  and  pains.  What,  therefore,  must  have  been 
the  measure  of  Job's  anguish  when  he  contrasted  his 
present  position  with  his  former?  Yesterday  his  word 
was  law;  now  it  has  no  charm.  Influence,  friends, 
home — everything  gone.  As  he  passed  along  the 
street  people  said :  "  There  goes  old  Job.  What  a 
man  he  was!  Now  he  is  nothing  but  a  shadow  of 
his  former  self. "  Such  observations  sting  like  vipers ; 
they  cut  like  two-edged  swords.  Not  a  very  easy 
matter  to  be  patient  under  such  circumstances.  Some 
are  patient  because  they  are  stupid,  like  an  old  ox  on 
the  broad  plains  with  thousands  of  flies  on  its  back 
and  never  seeking  to  drive  them  away  by  the  swing 
of  its  tail.  Some  are  patient  so  long  as  they  meet 
with  no  reverses,  so  long  as  things  go  their  way. 
When  trade  is  brisk,  they  will  treat  you  kiadly  and 
appear  very  cordial ;  but  when  things  go  wrong  they 
get  very  peevish ;  and  I  do  not  know  of  anything  worse 
than  a  peevish  man  unless  it  be  a  peevish  woman. 
Becky  Sharp  said :  •'  It  is  easy  to  be  patient  on  a 
thousand  a  year."  Yes,  easy  then  to  sing  and  be  joy- 
ful, but  not  so  easy  when  your  sails  are  ripped  and 
your  little  bark  drifts  over  the  stormy  sea ;  not  so  easy 
when  you  see  the  coffin-lid  shut  down  upon  the  only 
child  that  you  had ;  not  so  easy  when  you  see  others 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    319 

making  large  incomes  on  small  labors  while  you  strive 
night  and  day  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  Jacob 
said :  "  If  God  will  be  with  me,  and  will  keep  me  in 
this  way  that  I  go,  and  will  give  me  bread  to  eat,  and 
raiment  to  put  on,  so  that  I  come  again  to  my  father's 
house  in  peace,  then  shall  the  Lord  be  my  God" 
(Gen.  xxviii.  20,  21).  If  I  were  near  Jacob  when  he 
spoke  those  words,  I  would  tell  him  :  "  Yes,  Jacob, 
and  small  thanks,  too."  Every  man  speaks  accord- 
ing to  his  quality.  Poor  religion  that!  Poor  Chris- 
tian that!  What  audacity  of  selfishness  in  the 
man! 

I  prefer  Habakkuk's  philosophy :  "  Altho  the 
fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the 
vines  j  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  fields 
shall  yield  no  meat;  the  flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the 
fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls :  yet  I  will 
joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation  "  (Habak.  iii.  17,  18). 

Of  the  many  lessons  of  the  long  and  wonderfully 
laborious  life  of  Mr.  Gladstone  perhaps  none  is  more 
valuable  than  the  last  lesson  which  he  left  behind 
him — his  dying  message — the  lesson  of  cheerf illness 
in  adversity.  "No  doubt,"  he  said,  "  I  have  suffered 
a  great  deal  during  the  last  six  months,  but  then  I 
had  one  thousand  and  fifty-six  months  almost  without 
pain."  How  refreshing!  Such  a  state  of  mind  is  as 
admirable  as  it  is  rare.  May  God  grant  us  that  seren- 
ity of  mind  which  sees  in  present  misfortune  only  a 


820    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

reminder  of  the  days  whicli  were  exempt  from  suffer- 
ing. 

No  artisan,  preacher,  poet,  merchant,  statesman,  or 
woman  can  say  that  all  their  ideals  have  come  to  pass. 
The  man  who  has  accomplished  all  did  not  purpose  to 
accomplish  much.  I  have  met  men  who  have  been 
brought  up  in  very  narrow  circles,  with  little  educa- 
tion, no  expectations,  no  ambition;  they  have  no  re- 
morse and  no  sense  of  failure.  To  the  degree  we  see 
we  have  fallen  short  of  our  ideals,  to  that  degree  it  is 
hard  to  say  that  God  is  Love  and  that  life  is  sweet. 
But  God  does  not  pay  by  results.  Ideals  faithfully 
kept  are  as  precious  in  His  sight  as  are  deeds.  The 
number  of  jewels  in  your  crown  will  not  be  determined 
by  the  number  of  your  victories,  but  by  the  number 
of  your  ideals.  Such  men  as  Livingstone,  Carey, 
Spurgeon,  Beecher,  Luther,  and  Savonarola  in  Flor- 
ence did  not  accomplish  all  they  desired.  They 
were  great  souls  and  had  great  expectations,  but  it 
is  all  the  same  now.  The  Lord  has  rewarded  them 
exactly  as  if  every  holy  wish,  every  noble  purpose, 
and  every  mighty  effort  of  the  soul  had  been  converted 
into  an  actual  fact.  This  is  the  great  artery  of  our 
inspiration.  This  is  the  glory  of  the  Divine  adminis- 
tration. I  have  been  out  on  the  Western  plains  of 
America  in  a  storm,  and  I  have  with  some  friends 
gone  to  witness  the  effects  of  a  tornado.  It  was  in- 
credible!    Houses  swept  away  in  the  twinkling  of  an 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    321 

eye,  huge  trees  plucked  up  by  tlie  roots,  heavy  ma- 
chines twisted  and  torn  as  if  they  were  mere  wood ; 
wells  and  brooks  completely  dried  up,  their  contents 
sucked  in  by  the  tornado ;  horses  carried  away  a  hun- 
dred yards — the  whole  a  scene  of  devastation  truly 
wonderful  and  awe-inspiring.  God  put  Job  in  the 
hands  of  Satan,  and  Satan  placed  Job  and  all  that  he 
had  in  the  path  of  the  tornado,  and  he  lost  all  except 
his  life.  People,  as  they  stood  over  the  wreck,  said: 
"  What  a  great  house  this  was !  " 

How  did  Job  stand  it?  Did  the  devil  succeed  in 
his  object?  Did  he  force  Job  to  abandon  his  religious 
position?  No.  True,  Job  did  some  things  in  the 
passion  of  his  agony  he  afterward  regretted,  but  he 
kept  the  faith,  he  stuck  to  his  colors  to  the  last.  He 
established  the  principle  that  God  cares  for  His 
own,  and  when  they  are  tested  He  supplies  them 
with  the  means  to  enable  them  to  come  out  vic- 
toriously. 

(h)  Another  element  that  made  up  Job's  suffering 
was  its  mystery.  The  prevailing  idea  of  antiquity 
was  that  adversity  or  prosperity  was  an  indication  of 
divine  favor.  If  a  man  did  well,  God  was  his  friend; 
but  if  a  man  did  badly,  God  was  not  his  friend.  Job 
shared  and  preached  these  sentiments.  But  it  is  not 
so  easy  for  a  man  to  apply  to  himself  the  truths  he 
has  been  applying  to  others.  Job  had  told  his  coun- 
trymen that  their  worldly  positions  would  give  them 
31 


322    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN. 

aa  indication  of  how  they  stood  with  God.  Let  him, 
therefore,  apply  the  principle  to  himself.  What  was 
the  secret  of  his  difficulty?  He  said :  "  I  have  kept 
my  marriage  vows,  I  have  been  kind  to  the  poor,  I 
have  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  leap  for  joy.  What- 
ever influence  I  had,  it  has  always  been  for  good  gov- 
ernment, just  laws,  purity  of  morals,  and  the  uplifting 
of  the  downtrodden."  There  was  no  roistake  about 
that.  Moreover,  God  said,  when  placing  him  in  the 
hands  of  Satan,  that  he  was  an  upright  man,  and  that 
there  was  none  like  him  on  earth. .  So  Job  stood  half 
stunned,  wondering  what  solution  there  might  be  to 
the  difficulty,  and  all  the  while  his  critics  were  pour- 
ing their  cold-hearted  calumnies  and  galling  suspicion 
into  the  heart  God  was  bruising.  So  he  turns  from 
man  to  God,  and  exclaims:  "Cause  me  to  know 
wherein  I  have  sinned."  But  Job  is  only  one  of 
many.  Minds  reverent,  minds  cultured,  minds  pure, 
have  stood  over  these  fearful  mysteries  of  creation  and 
of  Providence  and  have  turned  away  filled  with  uncon- 
querable dizziness.  Just  think  of  the  undertone  of 
sadness  which  pervades  our  literature,  our  philosophy, 
our  poetry !  Out  of  the  bosom  of  the  past  there  goes 
up  into  the  heavens  a  wail  of  doubt  which  is  very  sor- 
rowful. In  every  age  men  have  thought  and  talked 
and  prayed  over  the  antagonism  between  history  and 
conscience,  the  conflict  between  instinct  and  logic. 
Then  there  are  others  who,  while  free  from  intellectual 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    323 

doubts,  suffer  from  soul  troubles ;  their  hearts  stagger 
because  the  joy  of  their  religion  is  suspended.  They 
feel  they  still  have  faith  in  God,  but  that  faith  does 
not  help  them  any.  It  brings  them  no  comfort.  One 
of  the  most  difficult  phases  of  our  ministerial  work  is 
to  deal  with  these  two  classes.  We  should  handle 
such  questions  and  such  people  with  the  gi-eatest  care 
and  tenderness. 

People  often  say :  "  If  these  ministers  only  preached 
shorter  sermons,  we  would  feel  better,  and  there  would 
always  be  a  large  and  enthusiastic  crowd  to  greet 
them."  It  is  very  strange  that  the  very  people  who 
clamor  for  shorter  sermons  are  the  people  who  will  go 
to  a  concert  or  theater  and  sit  down  for  three  hours  at 
a  stretch.  But  it  is  not  true,  gentlemen,  that  shorter 
sermons  produce  larger  congregations.  Every  intelli- 
gent man  knows  that  the  same  causes  do  not  produce 
the  same  effects.  Cardinal  Manning,  that  great  and 
holy  man,  had  a  brother  called  Francis ;  their  mother 
was  a  stern  old  Calvinist,  and  the  home  was  an  evan- 
gelical one.  The  two  sons  heard  the  same  prayers 
and  had  the  same  discipline.  What  became  of  them? 
Cardinal  Manning  drifted  into  high-churchism  and 
from  there  into  Koman  Catholicism.  But  Francis  took 
an  opposite  course.  He  became  a  skeptic  and  for  a 
while  denied  the  existence  of  God.  Then  came  a 
reaction,  and  he  turned  out  to  be  a  theist  and  remained 
so  unto  the  end.     It  was  he  who  wrote  that  book  on 


324    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

Phases  of  Faith  which  created  such  a  sensation. 
No,  the  same  causes  do  not  always  produce  the  same 
effect.  What,  then,  is  our  remedy?  To  trust  where 
we  can  not  trace.  Go  on  praying  and  working,  believ- 
ing that  some  time  sunshine  and  spring  will  come  out 
of  it  in  the  end.  If  your  stock  is  gone,  your  money 
gone,  your  ideals  dashed  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven, 
you  have  something  left ;  you  have  the  hope  of  im- 
mortality left,  you  have  yourself  left,  and  you  have 
God  left.  Is  not  that  a  great  deal?  In  heaven's 
name,  man,  get  up  and  face  the  devil  and  all  his  angels. 
Some  great  reformer — I  believe  it  was  Luther — had 
got  into  one  of  his  periodical  fits  of  depression.  While 
down  in  the  great  deeps,  seeing  nothing  but  darkened 
desolation,  his  wife  suddenly  asked  him :  "  Have  you 
heard,  Luther?"  "No.  What?"  "Well,"  she 
added,  "  God  is  dead !  "  "  Say  it  again, "  he  asked. 
"God  is  dead!  I  can  see  ic  in  Luther's  face."  He 
stirred  up,  smiled,  and  replied :  "  No,  my  dear,  God 
is  not  dead,"  and  he  cast  aside  his  sackcloth  and 
ashes.  Yes,  my  brother,  you  have  God  left.  Your 
friends  may  be  few,  and  the  few  left  may  not  all  be 
genuine ;  things  may  not  be  coming  your  way ;  but 
have  faith  that  all  things  work  for  your  good ;  not  your 
profit  or  your  pleasure,  but  your  good.  I  remember 
toward  the  end  of  August,  1897,  going  with  a  party 
up  to  Mount  Hamilton  in  California  to  see  the  Lick 
Observatory.     It  was  twenty-eight  miles  from  the 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN.    325 

starting-point,  and  up-grade  the  whole  distance.  I 
shall  never  forget  the  fearful  chasms,  the  rushing  cat- 
aracts, and  the  yawning  gulfs.  I  did  not  know  what 
my  debt  to  God  was  until  I  stood  on  that  mount  view- 
ing the  scene  in  front  of  us  extending  over  sixty  miles. 
There  were  the  rich  vineyards  in  the  valleys  beneath; 
the  hills  of  various  sizes  and  shape,  each  hill  on  its 
own  plan ;  the  terrific  chasms  that  filled  one  with  hor- 
ror in  looking  into  them ;  the  mist  resting  on  the  earth 
yonder,  dense,  gloomy,  forbidding.  Speech  seemed 
an  impertinence  when  nature  was  so  eloquently  ad- 
dressing herself  to  all  who  had  ears,  eyes,  and  hearts. 
By  and  by  the  sun  sets  in  the  west.  And  what  a  glo- 
rious setting!  Then  the  shadows  of  uight  are  cast 
wide  and  deep  over  the  glens,  hills,  lakes,  and  rocks. 
"We  go  to  the  telescope  to  study  the  magnitude  and 
magnificence  of  the  firmament.  There  was  the  moon 
swimming  away  into  the  blue  depths  beyond  in  that 
mighty  world  of  space.  There  was  Saturn  with  its 
circles  like  a  seething  mass  of  five,  and  the  constella- 
tion in  Hercules  an  assemblage  of  splendors  and  excel- 
lences which  were  simply  overpowering  in  their  effect. 
No  books,  however  eloquently  written,  could  give  a 
man  such  grand  conceptions  of  the  infinite.  I  had  a 
talk  with  one  of  those  German  astronomers.  He  said : 
"  It  is  here  a  man  can  have  his  sordid  anxieties  and 
petty  ambitions  rebuked.  A  year's  residence  here 
will  do  a  great  deal  for  a  man.     I  used  to  be  worried 


326    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

over  small  things,  but  I  have  been  studying  the  calm- 
ness, the  eternal  certainty  that  is  stamped  upon  all 
the  movements  of  the  firmament.  The  result  is  that 
that  calmness  has  reflected  itself  on  my  soul ;  nothing 
worries  me  now."  Those  observations  have  been  a 
source  of  good  to  me ;  they  have  helped  me  greatly. 
At  last  it  is  midnight,  and  we  have  to  turn  home. 
We  start  eleven  in  the  coach,  which  was  drawn  by  four 
horses.  It  is  down-grade  all  the  while — a  never- 
to-be-forgotten  ride ;  the  sudden  curves  in  the  road, 
the  fearful  chasms  looking  like  the  very  jaws  of  death. 
Sometimes  there  would  be  only  about  a  foot  and  a  half 
or  even  less  between  the  wheel  of  the  coach  and  the 
edge  of  the  precipice  nearly  two  thousand  feet  deep, 
and  the  horses  going  at  a  quick  pace  the  whole  time. 
Sometimes  the  precipice  would  be  to  our  right,  then 
to  our  left.  Suppose,  I  thought,  the  wheel  gave  way, 
or  the  horses  slipped,  or  the  driver  made  a  miscalcula- 
tion. Where  would  we  be?  In  eternity  in  the  twin- 
kling of  an  eye.  More  than  once  the  dust  of  the  road 
was  so  thick  that  it  covered  the  coach  and  the  passen- 
gers, and  we  could  see  nothing,  and  were  still  going  at 
a  rapid  pace.  But  the  driver  was  an  expert,  and  so 
were  the  horses,  and  all  we  had  to  do  was  to  keep 
still,  say  nothing,  and  trust  the  driver.  This  is  what 
we  did,  and  great  was  our  relief  when  he  landed 
us  safely  at  our  hotel  about  3 :  30  in  the  early  morn- 
ing. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    327 

My  friend,  God  may  have  been  leading  or  may  now 
be  leading  you  along  some  perilous  ways.  You  see 
the  yawning  gulfs  to  your  right  and  left.  He  is  shift- 
ing, testing,  and  proving  you  by  some  strange  meth- 
ods. You  hardly  know  what  to  make  of  Him,  or  of 
His  providence,  or  of  His  promises.  It  seems  so 
hard,  so  difficult  to  understand,  so  much  unlike  what 
you  thought  God  to  be,  so  very  inexplicable.  Friend, 
see,  when  God  takes  you  along  such  ways,  that 
your  feet  are  shod  for  the  road  and  your  weapons 
strictly  proper  for  the  warfare.  Do  not  allow  your 
intrusive  curiosity  to  spoil  God's  glorious  purposes 
toward  you.  You  only  see  a  part.  He  sees  the  whole 
range  of  your  life.  Therefore  trust  Him.  Believe 
that  your  seeming  undoing  will  turn  out  to  be  yom* 
making,  and  if  you  are  God's  child  your  seeming  fail- 
ure will  turn  out  to  be  your  making.  It  was  so  with 
Job.  The  Lord  blessed  his  latter  end  more  than  his 
beginning.  His  sufferings  clarified  his  ideas;  they 
gave  him  a  deeper  and  firmer  grasp  of  the  great  verities 
of  religion ;  they  brought  him  nearer  to  God.  His  tri- 
umph over  the  devil,  his  critics,  and  his  own  passions 
was  complete.  He  was  in  every  way  a  greater  man 
than  before  God  placed  him  in  the  hands  of  the  devil 
to  be  tried. 

You  can  not  judge  God's  heart  by  His  hand.  A  cer- 
tain Welsh  minister  had  gone  to  London  for  a  few 
•weeks  as  a  supply.     The  last  charge  he  gave  before 


328    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

leaving  was  that  his  children  should  be  kind  and  obed- 
ient to  their  mother,  and  so  they  were  except  the  young- 
est boy,  Johnnie,  who  was  very  erratic.  His  mother 
threatened  to  inform  his  father  on  his  return,  and  so 
she  did  when  she  met  him  at  the  station.  The  first 
to  greet  his  father  at  the  door  was  Johnnie,  but  his 
father  refused  to  kiss  him ;  he  kissed  the  others.  Lit- 
tle Johnnie  had  his  tea  in  the  kitchen,  while  the 
father,  mother,  and  the  rest  of  the  children  had  it  in 
the  dining-room.  Johnnie's  heart  was  nearly  break- 
ing. He  wanted  to  hear  about  Westminster  Abbey, 
St.  Paul's,  and  the  British  House  of  Commons.  When 
the  father  had  finished  his  tea,  he  took  the  cane  and 
went  for  Johnnie  to  take  him  up  into  his  study  to  pun- 
ish him  for  disobedience.  Johnnie  went  up  slowly  in 
front  of  his  father.  Then  the  father  requested  John- 
nie to  take  off  his  clothes  that  he  might  whip  him 
for  being  a  naughty  boy.  Johnnie  stood  right  facing 
his  father  with  the  big  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks 
and  nearly  breaking  his  little  heart;  then  he  said: 
"Father,  kiss  me  first,  then  you  can  kill  me  after." 
It  was  too  much  for  the  old  man.  He  threw  the  cane 
aside,  took  Johnnie  up  in  his  arms  and  kissed  him, 
and  the  storm  was  over,  to  the  delight  of  the  other 
children.  You  can  not  judge  God's  heart  by  His  hand. 
His  hand  was  heavy  on  Job  in  his  affliction,  but  His 
heart  was  very  tender.  It  was  heavy  on  Abraham 
when  he  was  requested  to  sacrifice  the  only  son  that  he 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    329 

had,  but  Abraham  was  very  dear  to  Him.  God's  hand 
may  be  restiug  heavily  upon  some  of  you  mothers, 
young  men  or  women,  and  business  men.  He  is  keep- 
ing you  down  very  low  and  very  long,  too.  Things 
are  not  coming  your  way.  Your  life  seems  dull,  op- 
pressive, and  difficult.  It  is  not,  you  think,  what 
you  deserve.  You  wish  He  would  lift  His  hand  a 
little  so  as  to  make  life  easier  for  you,  but  God  has 
willed  it  otherwise,  and  you  have  just  got  to  stay 
where  you  are  waiting  for  the  salvation  of  the  Lord, 
and  what  ineffable  ecstasy  the  soul  will  experience 
in  the  great  hour  of  finding  out  the  secret  of  life's 
discipline !  What  unspeakable  joy  will  that  vision  of 
infinite  blessedness  produce !— the  hour  when  God  will 
reveal  to  you  the  real  meaning  of  your  trials  and  ex- 
periences, when  to  your  perplexing  gaze  He  will  show 
you  how  through  changing  episodes  of  thought  and 
feeling  you  arrived  at  last  at  your  immortal  perfec- 
tion. 

II.  Job  as  a  philanthropist.  He  was  eyes  to  the 
blind,  feet  to  the  lame,  father  to  the  poor.  His  judg- 
ment was  as  a  robe  and  a  diadem.  The  blessing  of 
him  who  was  ready  to  perish  came  upon  Job.  He 
was  always  in  touch  with  wretchedness,  poverty,  and 
despair.  He  considered  it  his  duty  as  a  citizen  and 
Christian.  How  can  Christians  hope  to  save  the  world 
unless  they  know  it?  Job  had  the  sense  of  humanity, 
he  had  what  is  called  a  "social  conscience."     Would 


330    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

to  God  more  men  had  it,  especially  in  these  days  of 
selfish  individualism!  Science  and  commerce  are 
recognizing  with  increasing  earnestness  the  doctrine 
of  the  solidarity  of  the  race ;  they  realize  the  necessity 
of  being  concerned  with  the  concerns  of  others.  But 
science  and  commerce  are  actuated  by  prudential  con- 
siderations. With  them  it  is  a  question  of  self- 
defense,  of  interest  and  profit.  This  is  good  as  far  as 
it  goes,  but  it  does  not  go  far  enough.  Job's  concern 
in  the  concerns  of  others  was  based  upon  higher  and 
purer  motives.  His  motives  were  ethical.  His  phi- 
lanthropy was  prompted  by  sympathy,  by  compassion. 
What  mighty  power  and  possibilities  there  are  in  that 
one  word,  compassion !  This  is  the  quality  that  gave 
birth  to  all  the  great  movements  of  the  past.  It  has 
defied  and  defeated  the  power  of  money,  of  the  sword, 
of  social  caste,  and  of  custom.  It  is  the  source,  the  ori- 
gin, the  fountain-head  of  all  the  mighty  thoughts  that 
are  throbbing  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  to-day. 
This  is  what  we  need  to  create  and  to  cultivate  in  the 
rising  generation.  The  sympathetic  instinct,  the  so- 
cial conscience,  yearning  pity  for  human  sorrow  of 
every  kind — this  is  what  has  enabled  Christ  to  move 
the  hearts  and  mold  the  ideas  of  the  centuries.  It 
is  important  we  should  bear  a  right  relation  to  God, 
it  is  equally  important  we  should  bear  a  right  relation 
to  our  fellow  men ;  and  the  Christian  who  stands  near- 
est to  God  is  he  who  has  the  greatest  enthusiasm  for 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A   GREAT  MAN.    331 

humanity  and  does  most  to  apply  Christ's  teaching  to 
social  relations. 

How  can  we  get  this  social  conscience?  Where  is 
the  source  of  this  sympathetic  instinct?  A  great 
French  writer  said  that  no  man  could  understand  and 
really  pity  the  sufferings  of  the  unfortunate  and  hun- 
gi-y  unless  he  himself  had  known  what  it  was  to  un- 
dergo the  same  experience.  He  meant  that  in  the 
human  mind  there  must  be  acute  memory  of  physical 
suffering  and  destitution  to  make  sympathy  with  such 
suffering  genuine.  It  is  a  historical  fact  that  there  is 
infinitely  more  charity  in  proportion  among  the  very 
poor  than  among  the  very  rich.  Thousands  in  our 
great  centers  of  population  would  starve  were  it  not 
for  the  unfailing  kindness  of  the  very  poor  to  each 
other.  But  I  doubt,  despite  a  good  deal  of  strong 
evidence  to  the  contrary,  that  only  the  man  who  has 
himself  known  sorrow  and  defeat  can  sympathize  with 
those  who  are  now  in  a  similar  condition.  For  in- 
stance, Ruskin's  best  thoughts  and  deepest  sympathies 
have  always  been  with  the  poor.  So  with  that  great 
and  noble  character  Mr.  Gladstone.  So  with  Job. 
True,  nothing  is  told  of  the  early  life  of  Job.  He  is 
introduced  to  us  in  his  full  manhood,  with  riches, 
children,  stock,  all  complete.  We  know  nothing  of 
his  boyhood  and  early  days.  But  it  seems  that  the 
life  of  Job  teaches  us,  and  that  history  verifies  it, 
that  sympathy  for  others  depends   on   imagination 


332    CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

combined  with  what  I  must  describe,  for  want  of  a 
better  term,  as  natural  goodness.  All  men  are  not 
naturally  good  or  kindly  disposed.  Sympathy  is 
more  natural  to  some  than  others.  But  it  is  the  duty 
of  all  men  to  cultivate  sympathy  with  the  downtrod- 
den, helpless,  and  poor.  "  Wo  to  them  that  are  at 
ease  in  Zion ;  that  lie  upon  beds  of  ivory,  and  stretch 
themselves  upon  their  couches,  and  eat  the  lambs  out 
of  the  flock  and  the  calves  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
stall;  that  chant  to  the  sound  of  the  viol,  and  invent 
to  themselves  instruments  of  music  like  David ;  that 
drink  wine  in  bowls,  and  anoint  themselves  with  the 
chief  ointments:  but  they  are  not  grieved  for  the 
affliction  of  Joseph  "  (Amos  vi.  4-6) . 

How  is  such  concern  with  the  concerns  of  others  to 
be  kindled  and  sustained?  Let  me  ask  another  ques- 
tion. Where  did  the  early  Christians  get  it?  It  was 
a  new  factor  in  life  then.  It  was  the  one  main  objec- 
tion that  men  like  Celsus  had  to  religion.  Well,  the 
early  Christians  found  the  source  of  this  social  con- 
science, this  sympathetic  instinct,  in  the  new  and 
higher  valuation  of  man  which  Christ  made.  This 
valuation  was  an  immense  revelation  to  them,  for  they 
had  always  been  told  that  a  mere  man  was  a  social 
nobody.  To  be  interested  in  such  men  as  Socrates  or 
Charlemagne  or  Cicero  was  reasonable,  but  to  be  inter- 
ested in  man  as  such,  man  without  distinction  of 
birth,  without  acquisition,  without  wealth,  was  a  new 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  ORE  AT  MAN.    333 

thing.  That  is  why  Lowell  called  our  Savior  "the 
first  real  democrat  that  the  world  ever  saw."  An- 
other source  whence  the  early  Christians  got  this  social 
conscience  was  the  doctrine  of  the  solidarity  and 
brotherhood  of  the  race  which  Christ  preached.  There 
was  also  their  intense  love  for  Christ.  "WTiere  the 
early  Christians  got  it,  we  may  get  it.  Until  our 
Christian  churches  get  it,  they  can  never  say  to  the 
helpless  millions  who  are  crippled  on  the  highway  of 
life:  "Rise  up  and  walk." 

In  conclusion,  let  me  express  the  hope  that  we  do 
not  look  upon  such  noble  men  as  Job  as  some  sort  of 
"  esoteric  characters."  People  think  it  is  inspirmg  to 
read  of  such  men,  but  impossible  to  imitate  them. 
"How  can  we,"  they  say,  "with  such  limited  oppor- 
tunities, hope  to  have  the  patience  of  Job,  the  undeni- 
ableness  of  Daniel,  the  confidence  of  Moses,  the  per- 
severance of  Paul,  and  the  courage  of  Joseph?  "  Yes, 
you  can ;  that  is  why  God  included  such  characters  in 
the  Bible.  My  belief  is  that  we,  with  our  many  priv- 
ileges and  increased  knowledge,  ought  to  be  better 
men  than  Joseph  or  Daniel,  and  better  Christians  even 
than  Paul.  Yes,  however  humble  your  surroimdings, 
however  small  your  means,  and  however  limited  your 
education,  there  is  no  nobility  of  temper,  no  fortitude 
in  suffering,  no  integrity  of  character,  no  faith  in  the 
care  of  God  for  His  own,  no  passion  for  the  salvation 
of  childhood,  and  no  sympathy  with  the  poor  and  un- 


334   CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GREAT  MAN. 

fortunate,  that  Job  showed,  which  is  not  possible  to 
you.     Let  your  motto  therefore  be : 

"Freely  to  all  ourselves  we  give, 
Constrained  by  Jesus'  love  to  live 
The  servants  of  mankind.  " 


THE  GREATNESS  AND  THE  JOY  OF 
PREACHING. 

By  Rkv.  Edward  D.  Morris,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Pro- 
fessor Emeritus  in  the  Lane  Theological 
Seminary,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

"  I  charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  His  appear- 
ing and  His  kingdom  ;  preach  the  word  ;  be  instant  in  season, 
out  of  season  ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long-sufEer- 
ing  and  doctrine."— 2  Tim.  iv.  1,  2. 

Considered  on  earthly  grounds  alone,  the  work  of 
composing  and  delivering  sermons  must  be  regarded  as 
a  work  of  the  highest  and  grandest  character.  Leav- 
ing out  of  view  the  divine  element  that  mingles  with 
it  and  the  everlasting  issues  it  involves— considering 
simply  what  is  human— preaching  must  take  rank  at 
once  with  the  foremost  vocations  to  which  the  mtel- 
lect  and  the  heart  can  be  summoned.  Look  at  the 
range,  the  variety,  the  grandeur  of  the  truths  with 
which  it  is  concerned,  and  set  them  in  contrast  with 
all  other  truth  in  these  respects.  Look  at  the  wealth 
of  knowledge,  of  learning,  of  reflection  and  research, 
needful  to  the  full  attainment  of  the  material  employed 

335 


336    GREATNESS  AND  JOY  OF  PREACHING. 

in  pulpit  discourse.  Look  at  the  mental  effort  requi- 
site in  selecting  and  defining  themes,  in  arranging  and 
grouping  thoughts,  in  bringing  out  the  sermon  as  a 
complete  structure,  fit  to  be  delivered  to  an  intelligent 
audience.  Look  at  the  exercise  of  sensibility  involved 
in  the  transmission  of  such  truth  to  other  minds — the 
glow  of  elevated  feeling,  the  play  of  pure  affection, 
and  the  consequent  energizing  and  strengthening  of 
the  will  along  all  lines  of  manly  and  worthy  effort  for 
the  spiritual  good  of  men. 

How  shallow,  how  groundless,  in  view  of  such  sug- 
gestions, appears  the  slight  estimate  entertained  by 
some  respecting  the  real  position  of  this  work  among 
the  various  vocations  to  which  men  may  be  called. 
Even  among  the  professions,  as  they  are  termed,  what 
one  is  in  this  respect  so  glorious  and  inspiring  as  the 
work  of  preaching  Christ?  It  surpasses  poetry  as 
much  as  poetry  surpasses  painting  or  sculpture;  it 
surpasses  philosophy  as  much  as  philosophy  surpasses 
trade.  It  is  literally  first  among  the  highest  forms  of 
mental  activity;  first  as  to  the  order  of  intellect  it 
brings  into  action;  first  as  to  the  sensibilities  and 
affections  it  sets  into  play;  first  as  to  the  moral  aims 
and  the  volitional  force  it  requires.  Let  no  preacher, 
therefore,  despise  the  task  to  which  he  is  called,  view- 
ing it  on  this  earthly  side  only,  or  consent  to  regard 
or  to  treat  it  as  subordinate  to  any  other  vocation 
whatsoever. 


GREATNESS  AND  JOY  OF  PREACHING.   337 

But  when  we  rise  to  a  higher  elevation,  and  con- 
template this  work  on  its  divine  side,  the  force  of  this 
conclusion  is  incalculably  augmented.  Consider  that 
this  vocation  differs  from  all  others  in  being  directly 
appointed  of  God,  and  carried  on  under  Tlis  express 
sanction.  Consider  that  in  no  unmeaning  sense  every 
true  sermon  is  a  product  of  inspiration,  the  Holy 
Ghost  working  in  and  through  the  natural  powers, 
and  producing  a  result  to  which  even  the  finest  human 
abilities  would  by  themselves  be  incompetent.  Con- 
sider the  aim  and  end  of  every  such  discourse,  not 
simply  to  make  a  present  intellectual  impression  on 
the  hearers,  or  to  affect  them  for  any  earthly  purpose, 
but  to  secure  results  which  are  spiritual  and  eternal — 
to  rescue  the  soul  from  sin  and  from  death  everlasting. 
Consider  also  the  relation  of  preaching  to  the  church 
and  kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  to  the  upbuilding  of 
all  holy  interests  among  men,  to  the  r.oral  develop- 
ment of  society  in  every  respect,  and  to  the  healthful 
progress  and  final  perfection  of  the  race.  Estimate 
all  these  higher  considerations  as  they  are  involved  in 
this  beneficent  work ;  weigh  this  divine  element  as  it 
mingles  with  and  gives  significance  to  the  human;  let 
the  light  of  eternity  shine  down  upon  this  holy  voca- 
tion, and  then  you  will  begin  to  appreciate  the  great- 
ness of  preaching,  and  come  to  realize  how  sublime  a 
thing  it  is  to  proclaim  Christ  and  His  salvation  to  men. 
How  sad  and  pitiable  must  any  preacher  be  who  can 
22 


338    GREATNESS  AND  JOY  OF  PREACHING. 

engage  with  any  but  the  most  elevated  feeling,  with 
anything  less  than  the  eompletest  earnestness  and  the 
entire  consecration  of  all  his  powers,  in  a  vocation  so 
noble  and  so  truly  divine ! 

That  such  a  calling  should  bring  with  it  the  loftiest 
and  purest  joy  that  can  come  to  man  from  any  form 
of  earthly  service  might  well  be  anticipated.  It  is  sad 
indeed  to  admit  that  in  the  life  of  most  ministers 
there  are  seasons  when  the  task  of  preparing  and  de- 
livering sermons  becomes  burdensome  and  even  pain- 
ful. We  may  confess  that  among  those  who  aspire  to 
be  preachers  there  are  always  some  who  never  attain 
the  full  and  pure  and  satisfying  pleasure  which  such 
a  service  is  in  itself  so  well  fitted  to  convey.  And 
doubtless  a  large  proportion  of  this  burden  and  dis- 
comfort is  to  be  found  in  the  failure  to  gain  any 
proper  conception  of  the  real  grandeur  of  the  work. 
How  can  any  man  preach  with  satisfaction  who  is  not 
profoundly  stirred  by  a  sense  of  the  intrinsic  great- 
ness of  his  vocation;  who  does  not  realize  how  sublime 
his  service  is  when  seen  on  its  merely  human  side, 
and  how  much  more  sublime  it  is  when  regarded  as  a 
service  appointed  of  God,  and  containing  in  itself  the 
pledge  of  divine  aid  and  inspiration,  even  to  the  hum- 
blest of  those  who  proclaim  His  truth?  How  can  any 
man  be  truly  happy  in  preaching  who  suffers  personal 
interest,  pecuniary  advantage,  literature  or  art,  place 
in  society,  exaltation  among  men,  or  anything  else  to 


GREATNESS   AND  JOY  OF  PREACHING.    339 

absorb  his  thougMs,  discolor  his  feeling,  or  vitiate  his 
will,  iu  this  holiest  of  human  employments?  How 
can  he  expect  to  find  true,  pure,-  lasting  enjoyment  iu 
his  business  if  he  does  not  make  it  a  business  indeed 
— a  business  enlisting  all  his  faculties,  absorbing  into 
itself  every  other  desire,  seating  itself  on  the  throne 
of  affection  and  purpose  within  him,  and,  in  a  word, 
giving  form,  color,  direction,  power,  and  devotion  to 
his  entire  life? 

Just  here  lies  the  secret  of  blessedness  in  preaching 
— in  this  ardent,  chivalrous,  complete  devotion  to  the 
work.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  ministry  is  often 
a  sphere  of  peculiar  trial,  and  that  the  specific  task  of 
preaching  often  involves  much  of  severity,  of  strug- 
gle, of  discipline.  It  is  well  for  those  who  are  enter- 
ing on  the  sacred  calling  to  realize  these  severer  con- 
ditions and  surroundings  amid  which  their  work  for 
God  and  man  is  largely  to  be  done.  Yet,  after  all, 
the  work  of  preaching  is  a  joyful  work.  If  we  con- 
sider it  for  the  moment  on  its  earthly  side  only,  what 
other  vocation  is  so  blessed?  It  is  a  blessed  thing  to 
have  the  highest  powers  of  intellect,  of  feeling,  of 
will — all  that  is  noblest  and  best  in  our  manhood— so 
fully  and  so  worthily  employed.  It  is  a  blessed  thing 
to  be  conscious  that  the  work  we  are  doing  is  a  divine 
work,  and  that  divine  forces,  both  within  us  and  with- 
out, are  pledged  to  our  assistance.  The  preparation 
also  is  joyous,  whether  it  be  generic  or  specific,  be- 


340    GREATNESS  AND  JOY  OF  PREACHING. 

cause  it  all  stands  in  such  vital  relation  to  the  glori- 
ous work  itself.  Viewed  in  this  light,  the  selection 
of  themes  is  pleasant;  the  task  of  composition  is 
pleasant;  the  effort  of  delivery  is  pleasant.  The 
entire  labor  brings  joy  to  the  soul,  and  such  joy  as  no 
other  employment  of  life  can  bring  in  any  such  meas- 
ure. Nothing,  nothing  in  life  can  equal  it  in  real 
blessedness,  if  this  service  be  but  thoroughly  and  de- 
votedly undertaken.  Compared  with  it,  manual  toil, 
however  worthy ;  mercantile  effort,  however  rewarded ; 
professional  endeavor,  however  honorable  or  remune- 
rative, are  at  best  but  dross. 

But  the  joy  of  preaching  can  not  be  properly  esti- 
mated until  we  come  to  consider  the  spiritual  and 
eternal  recompense  it  brings.  As  the  proclamation  of 
salvation  through  Christ  is  never  to  be  regarded  by  us 
as  a  professional  service  merely,  so  its  rewards  are 
never  to  be  measured  by  any  earthly  standards  of 
emolument.  To  the  natural  eye  it  may  appear  less 
profitable  than  the  labor  of  the  merchant ;  less  prom- 
inent than  the  function  of  the  politician  or  statesman ; 
less  attractive  than  the  vocation  of  the  lawyer  or  phy- 
sician,  less  honorable  than  the  service  of  the  scholar. 
But  to  the  eye  of  faith  it  plainly  surpasses  and  out- 
shines them  all.  Its  true  end  is  so  glorious  that  it 
can  not  be  clearly  seen  through  this  earthly  atmos- 
phere; its  relations  are  so  elevated  that  men  fail  to 
appreciate  or  even  to  apprehend  them ;  its  recompense 


GREATNESS  AND  JOY  OF  PREACHING.   341 

is  such  that  not  even  the  most  thoroughly  sanctified 
mind  can  discern,  nor  the  most  glowing  imagination 
describe  it.  The  ultimate  rewards  of  the  faithful, 
devoted  preacher  are  quite  beyond  estimation.  Eye 
hath  not  seen,  earth  hath  not  heard,  neither  hath  it 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  comprehend,  as  the 
future  will  disclose  them,  the  things  which  God  hath 
prepared  for  those  who  humbly,  faithfully,  and 
with  whatever  of  sacrifice  or  self-denial,  serve  Him  in 
this  peculiar  vocation.  The  eternal  salvation  of  souls 
brought  through  their  preaching  to  Christ;  the  golden 
sheaves  of  grace  borne  with  rejoicing  into  the  heavenly 
garner  through  their  fidelity ;  the  rescued  saints  shi- 
ning as  stars  in  their  crown  of  rejoicing  forever ;  the 
satisfying  fellowship  of  the  church  they  have  served ; 
the  approval  of  the  Father ;  the  welcome  of  Christ, 
and  everlasting  communion  with  Him  as  honored 
sharers  of  His  celestial  home ;  a  heaven  made  brighter 
and  more  blessed  throughout  eternity  through  their 
endeavor — these,  these  are  rewards  such  as  earth  can 
not  give  and  such  as  her  choicest  gifts  can  never 
replace. 


THE  LORD'S  BOOK. 

By  Eev.  Eichard  Hughes,  Nelson,  N.  Y. 

"Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord,  and  read." — Isa, 
xxxiv.  16. 

One  of  the  greatest  gifts  of  God  to  man  is  His  re- 
vealed will.  For  2,000  years  it  was  to  be  liad  only 
in  the  traditional  form,  transferred  from  age  to  age, 
from  family  to  family.  But  as  the  Divine  revelation 
increased,  this  became  more  difficult.  It  would  have 
been  almost  impossible  to  transfer  the  statutes  and 
directions  of  the  Old  Covenant  in  their  entirety ;  the 
prophecies  in  their  multiplicity  and  their  accuracy; 
the  Psalms  in  the  charm  of  their  praises  and  the  im- 
portunity of  their  prayers;  and  the  New  Testament 
in  the  gracious  wealth  of  its  doctrines,  its  teachings, 
and  its  promises.  Such  a  wealth  of  divine  things 
would  be  very  difficult  to  hand  down  from  age  to  age 
in  their  completeness  and  purity,  without  being  lost 
and  mixed  with  traditions  and  errors,  so  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  separate  the  true  from  the  false.  To 
have  God's  will  written  in  a  book  is  therefore  a  great 
advantage.     In  this,  the  Divine  hand  is  clearly  seen, 


THE  LORD'S  BOOK.  343 

keeping  the  truth  from  all  harm  by  agitating  and 
directing  holy  men  to  write  His  will. 

To  this  book,  the  text  calls  our  attention.  "  Seek 
ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord,  and  read. "  The  text 
naturally  divides  itself  into  three  parts : 

I.  The  Book  of  the  Lord.  II.  Heading  the  Book. 
III.    Seeking  out  of  the  Book. 

I.    T?ie  Book  of  the  Lord. 

1.  This  is  the  oldest  and  most  diversified  book  in 
the  world.  Truly  it  is  the  source  of  all  the  sub- 
stantial books  extant.  As  the  planets  receive  their 
light  from  the  sun,  so  all  good  books  have  received 
much  of  their  light  from  the  book  of  the  Lord — the 
Book  of  books. 

The  oldest  history  is  found  in  this  book.  Moses 
wrote  about  650  years  before  the  days  of  Homer,  the 
Greek  poet,  and  about  900  years  before  Confucius, 
the  Chinese  philosopher.  Herodotus  was  one  of  the 
oldest  Greek  historians,  flourishing  about  400  years 
before  Christ,  and  over  1,000  years  after  the  days  of 
Moses.  Under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit,  Closes 
wrote  of  incidents  which  had  taken  place  thousands 
of  years  back  in  the  past. 

But  for  the  Bible  we  would  have  no  correct  idea 
about  the  beginning  of  the  world,  for  through  rev- 
elation only  has  the  idea  of  creation  been  found. 
•'*  Through  faith  we  understand  that  the  worlds  were 
framed  by  the  word  of  God."     "In  the  beginning. 


344  THE  LORD'S  BOOK. 

God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth. "  In  this  book, 
also,  is  found  the  history  of  the  creation  of  man. 
What  is  man?  Where  is  he  going?  What  about  his 
future?  Will  death  end  his  existence?  These  are 
questions  which  the  philosophers  of  the  ages  have  at- 
tempted to  answer.  Philosophy  has  failed  to  give  a 
satisfactory  account  of  the  appearance  of  man  on 
earth,  as  a  reasonable  being,  possessing  an  immortal 
spirit ;  but  in  the  Bible  we  get  a  clear  account  of  his 
creation.  "  And  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in  our 
own  image,  after  our  likeness."  "Then  shall  the 
dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was ;  and  the  spirit  shall 
return  unto  God  who  gave  it."  According  to  the 
ideas  of  some  philosophers,  man  is  a  little  higher  than 
the  animal;  but  according  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible,  he  is  a  little  lower  than  the  angels:  "Thou 
madest  him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels ;  thou  crown- 
edst  him  with  glory  and  honor."  To  be  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels  is  infinitely  better  than  to  be 
much  higher  than  the  animal. 

There  are  truths  contained  in  the  Bible  which 
man,  through  the  light  of  reason  and  the  light  of  na- 
ture, would  know  nothing  about. 

2.  This  is  the  book  which  has  met  with  the  great- 
est number  of  enemies.  Its  course  through  the  world 
is  similar  to  the  life  of  Jesus.  He  had  numerous 
friends  and  numerous  enemies.  "And  there  was 
much  murmuring  among  the  people  concerning  him: 


THE  LORD'S  BOOK.  345 

for  some  said,  He  is  a  good  man;  others  said, 
Nay;  but  he  deceiveth  the  people."  There  is  great 
murmuring  among  the  people  concerning  the  Bible. 
Some  say.  It  is  a  good  book ;  others  say,  It  deceiveth 
the  people.  It  has  many  friends  and  many  enemies. 
But  it  has  come  out  of  every  battle  more  than  a 
conqueror.  No  book  has  overcome  so  many  enemies 
as  this  one.  Laws  have  been  enacted  to  burn  it ;  but 
it  would  be  easier  to  prevent  the  sun  from  scattering 
its  rays  than  to  destroy  the  influence  of  this  book. 
"  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words 
shall  not  pass  away." 

3.  It  is  called  the  book  of  the  Lord,  because  of  its 
Divine  source.  "  All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration 
of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for 
correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness:  that  the 
man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
unto  all  good  works."  "  For  the  prophecy  came  not 
in  old  time  by  the  will  of  man :  but  holy  men  of  God 
spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  In 
this  book,  God  is  made  manifest  as  Christ  appeared  in 
the  flesh.  The  Bible  is  a  manifestation  of  God  in 
print.  As  the  sun  is  full  of  light,  so  the  Bible  is  full 
of  God.     Its  divinity  is  clearly  seen  in  three  ways : 

[a)  Internal  evidence;  viz.,  the  contents  of  the 
Bible  itself.  It  has  been  written  by  about  forty  men 
living  in  different  countries,  in  different  ages,  and  in 
different   languages :    some  men  writing   in    palaces, 


346  THE  LORD  'S  BOOK. 

others  in  the  wilderness,  and  others  while  bound  in 
prison  chains;  some  writing  in  unadorned  prose, 
others  in  the  most  dignified  poetry ;  yet  all  agreeing 
with  each  other,  from  Moses  in  Midian  to  John  in 
Patmos. 

(b)  External  evidence ;  viz.,  the  miracles,  the  proph- 
ecies in  their  fulfilment,  and  the  success  of  a  pure  re- 
ligion in  a  corrupt  world. 

(c)  Evidence  of  the  heart.  The  Bible  conveys  a 
feeling  of  assurance  to  the  hearts  of  all  who  believe 
it  to  be  God's  Word.  The  truths  of  the  Bible  differ 
from  the  truths  of  astronomy.  The  latter  do  not 
affect  the  course  of  our  life.  We  might  live  with  a 
man  for  a  year  without  knowing  by  any  of  his  actions 
whether  he  believed  that  the  earth  rotates  around  the 
sun  or  the  sun  around  the  earth.  But  we  could  not 
live  with  him  for  a  week  without  having  an  idea 
whether  or  not  he  believed  the  Bible.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  undertake  to  prove  the  divinity  and  in- 
spiration of  the  Bible  to  the  one  who  believes  it,  more 
than  it  would  be  to  prove  the  splendor  of  the  sun  to 
the  one  who  has  eyes  to  perceive  it. 

When  a  certain  minister  was  ill,  the  story  went 
abroad  that  he  was  dead.  Some  of  his  friends  asked 
him  how  he  felt  when  he  heard  he  was  dead.  He 
replied,  that  it  affected  him  not  at  all,  because  he 
knew  he  was  alive.  The  believer  has  a  proof  in  his 
heart  of  the  divinity  of  the  Bible,  just  as  he  knows 


THE  LORD'S  BOOK.  347 

that  he  is  alive,  or  that  there  is  heat  in  the  fire  and 
light  in  the  sun. 

4.  The  chief  object  of  the  Lord's  book  is  to  teach 
true  religion  to  the  world.     It  condemns  sin  in  every 
person,  in  aU  its  forms  and  under  all  conditions,  in 
the  intent  of  it  as  well  as  in  the  act;  and  teaches  that 
"Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  seek  and  to 
save  that  which  was  lost."     An  old  theologist  once 
thought  of  writing  a  book  worth  sixpence,  on  the 
manner  in  which  sin  came  into  the  world.     A  friend 
told  him  he  had  better  compose  a  book  worth  a  shill- 
ing to  teU  how  to  get  sin  out  of  the  world.     If  it  was 
worth  paying  sixpence  to  know  how  sin  came  into  the 
world,  it  would  surely  be  better  to  pay  a  shilling  to 
know  how  to  get  it  out  of  the  world.     The  Bible 
teaches  us  this,-"  This  is   a   faithful   saying,   and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into 
t.he  world  to  save  sinners;    of  whom  I  am  chief." 
"  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only- 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

II.  Eeadi7i(/  the  Lord's  Book.  "  Seek  ye  out  of  the 
book  of  the  Lord,  and  read."  The  Bible  is  a  book  for 
man  to  read,  to  search,  and  to  meditate.  God's  gifts 
to  man  have  been  many  :  He  gave  His  Son,  His  Spirit, 
and  His  Book.  We  know  of  no  creature  to  which 
God  has  given  a  book  but  man.  Everybody  should 
have  a  Bible  of  his  own,  and  should  read  it  daily  in 


848  THE  LORD'S  BOOK. 

a  prayerful  spirit.  It  should  not  be  read  hastily. 
Peter  and  John  went  to  the  grave,  yet  they  did  not 
see  Jesus  there;  but  Mary  Magdalene  took  time  to 
search  for  Him.  "But  Mary  stood  without  at  the 
sepulcher,  weeping."  She  saw  angels, — and  a  beauti- 
ful scene  it  was.  But  the  angels  could  not  pacify  the 
storm  within  her  soul.  She  wanted  to  see  Jesus ;  and 
she  succeeded  in  seeing  Him  before  any  one  else  on 
the  day  of  His  resurrection.  Why?  Because  she 
sought  Him  diligently.  Angels  had  the  privilege  of 
publishing  His  birth,  but  Mary  had  the  privilege  of 
notifying  the  disciples  of  His  resurrection.  Why? 
Because  she  took  time  to  seek  Him.  "Mary  Mag- 
dalene came  and  told  the  disciples  that  she  had  seen 
the  Lord." 

When  we  read  the  Bible  we  not  only  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  thoughts  of  the  prophets  and  the 
apostles,  but  we  come  in  contact  with  the  mind  of 
God.  A  rock  is  blasted  by  drilling  a  hole  into  it 
to  a  certain  depth,  into  which  powder  is  put.  There 
the  rock  and  the  powder  are  in  close  contact.  What 
more  is  needed?  Nothing  but  a  spark  of  fire — and 
the  rock  is  shattered.  So,  when  reading  the  Bible, 
the  mind  of  man  and  the  mind  of  God  are  in  close 
communion.  What  more  is  needed?  Nothing  but  a 
spark  of  fire  from  heaven,  and  the  hardened  heart  is 
shattered. 

As  a  certain  minister  was  calling  on  his  people,  he 


THE  LORD'S  BOOK.  349 

went  to  the  house  of  a  rather  worldly  old  lady  and 
asked  if  she  read  her  Bible  often.  She  answered  that 
she  did  not,  as  the  spectacles  with  which  she  used  to 
read  her  Bible  had  been  lost,  "  How  long  is  it  since 
you  lost  them?"  asked  the  minister.  "Four  years," 
was  the  reply.  The  minister  then  offered  to  read  a 
chapter  with  her  out  of  the  book,  and  the  offer  was 
accepted.  Upon  opening  the  book,  the  long-lost 
spectacles  were  safely  found  inside  the  covers.  What 
a  loss?  The  Bible  not  opened  or  read  for  four  years! 
We  should  read  our  Bibles  daily. 

III.  Seeking  out  of  the  Book  of  the  Lord.  What 
shall  we  seek? 

1.  A  plan  for  our  lives.  Man  himself  is  the 
builder  of  character,  and  he  only  can  ruin  it,  it 
being  his  personal  property.  Character  is  formed 
gradually,  worked  stitch  by  stitch,  as  a  stocking  is 
knit.  It  is  not  a  gourd  growing  to  full  size  in  one 
night.  A  certain  number  of  special  deeds  do  not 
compose  character ;  but  all  the  thoughts,  all  the  words, 
and  all  the  actions  of  life  do.  Nothing  is  so  impor- 
tant as  a  good  character.  *'  A  good  name  is  better 
than  precious  ointment."  Living  according  to  the 
book  of  the  Lord  is  sure  to  produce  a  good  character. 
"Wherewithal  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his  way? 
By  taking  heed  thereto  according  to  thy  word."  Ee- 
ligion  increases  the  value  of  man  as  a  moral  being 
every  day,  but  sin  lowers  it.     "  The  curse  of  the  Lord 


350  THE  LORD'S  BOOK. 

is  in  the  house  of  the  wicked,  but  he  blesseth  the 
habitation  of  the  just."  "For  bodily  exercise  profit- 
eth  little.  But  godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things, 
having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that 
which  is  to  come. "  "  The  blessing  of  the  Lord,  it 
maketh  rich,  and  he  addeth  no  sorrow  with  it. " 

2.  Seek  faith  in  its  truths.  The  centurion  had 
great  faith  in  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  But  speak 
the  word  only,  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed." 
Jairus  had  great  faith  in  the  hand  of  Jesus  Christ. 
"I  pray  thee,  come  and  lay  thy  hands  on  her,  that 
she  may  be  healed;  and  she  shall  live."  We  have 
the  history  of  a  woman  who  apparently  had  great  faith 
in  Christ's  garment.  "For  she  said,  If  I  may 
touch  but  his  clothes,  I  shall  be  whole. "  Ought  we 
therefore  not  to  have  faith  in  the  words  of  Jesus — faith 
in  their  power  to  save  the  world?  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  we  are  with  the  world,  as  weeping  Martha,  look- 
ing on  the  dead,  instead  of  looking  through  faith  on 
the  power  of  "  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  We 
must  have  faith  and  love  to  work  for  Christ. 

When  a  child  in  Wales,  I  well  remember  a  funeral 
at  an  old  church,  belonging  to  the  parish,  where  no 
services  had  been  held  for  many  years,  because  an- 
other church  was  more  convenient  in  the  village  near 
by.  This  funeral,  however,  was  to  be  held  in  the  old 
church,  as  the  burial-plot  of  the  family  was  in  the 
graveyard  there.      The  children's   notice-  was   espe- 


TEE  LORD'S  BOOK.  351 

cially  drawn  to  the  occasion  because  a  river  had  to 
be  crossed  to  reach  the  place.  When  the  procession 
came  to  the  river,  the  people  scattered,  looking  for  the 
foot-bridge,  that  they  might  cross  on  a  dry  place;  but 
the  four  men  who  carried  the  bier  went  directly 
through  the  river.  Strangers  inquired  who  the  four 
men  were,  and  the  answer  was,  that  they  were  brothers 
of  the  deceased.  Who  are  the  brothers  of  Jesus  who 
died  on  Calvary?  They  who  keep  close  to  Him  and 
work  for  Him.     "  Faith  which  worketh  by  love. " 

3,  Seek  to  make  the  experiences  of  the  pious 
men  of  the  Bible  oui*  own.  A  mother  and  her  daugh- 
ter were  going  one  evening  to  the  class-meeting,  and 
the  mother  asked  the  girl  if  she  had  a  verse  to  say. 
"  Yes,"  she  answered, — " '  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest 
thou  me  more  than  these?  '  But  I  have  nothing  to 
say  from  it. "  "  Well, "  said  the  mother,  "  say  that 
you  love  Jesus  Christ  more  than  any  one  else." 
During  the  meeting  the  minister  asked  for  verses  and 
testimonies.  Jane  said,  "  'Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest 
thou  me  more  than  these? ' " — and  added,  "  I  love  Jesus 
Christ  more  than  anyone  else."  *'  Well  done,  Jane," 
said  the  minister ;  *'  you  have  the  best  testimony  of 
any  one  here  to-night." 

We  should  have  true  testimonies,  not  artificial  ones, 
not  what  others  tell  us  to  say.  They  should  come 
from  the  heart  as  the  light  comes  from  the  sun,  heat 
from  the  fire,  and  perfume  from  the  flower.     "  For  I 


352  THE  LORD'S  BOOK. 

know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth. "  "  The  Lord  is  my 
shepherd;  I  shall  not  want."  'Tor  I  know  whom 
I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against 
that  day." 

"  Seek  ye  out  of  the  book  of  the  Lord,  and  read." 


THE   MODEL  MESSAGE.* 

By  Rev.  Gwernydd    Newton,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

"  "Whom  we  preach,  warning  every  man  and  teaching  every 
man  in  all  wisdom,  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect 
in  Christ  Jesus.  "—Col.  i.  28. 

It  is  with  the  utmost  reluctance  that  I  have  under- 
taken the  responsibility  of  addressing  you  on  the 
duties  of  your  high  calling.  I  would  that  another  of 
wider  experience  and  greater  insight  had  been  chosen 
to  discharge  the  important  duty  of  delivering  "  the 
charge  "  to  you.  Rut  as  the  responsibility  is  forced 
upon  me,  nothing  is  left  but  in  the  strength  of  God  to 
seek  to  fulfil  it  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  I  am  com- 
forted by  the  thought  that  you  know  so  well  the  love 
that  I  bear  to  you,  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  mistake 
my  meaning  or  my  motive,  and  to  warrant  my  saying 
without  any  reserve  anything  that  may  appear  to  my 
mind  as  being  worthy  of  reiteration  at  this  moment. 
Your  knowledge  of  my  esteem  for  you  will  save  me 
from  running  any  risk  of  being  thought  presumptuous 

*  Preached  at  the  ordination  services  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Thomas ; 
Thomastown,  Ohio,  March  22,  1898. 
28  353 


354  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

or  pedantic.  There  are  many  things  which  occur  to 
one  at  a  moment  like  this  which,  while  pertinent  and 
important,  are  better  said  in  private  than  expressed 
in  public.  The  very  conditions  debar  me  from  saying 
anything  but  what  will  have  a  tendency  to  inspire 
respect  and  reverence  for  your  sacred  office  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  may  hear  my  words.  You  may 
rest  assured  that  what  I  say  to  you  to-day,  I  have  said 
over  and  over  again  to  myself.  Indeed,  I  shall  only 
be  telling  you  what  I  myself  have  come  to  think  and 
feel  concerning  the  most  sacred  calling  in  God's  uni- 
verse. I  myself  am  therefore  responsible  for  the 
sentiments  which  I  shall  express,  for  I  have  not  know- 
ingly sought  to  follow  the  advice  of  any  one,  tho 
I  have  diligently  sought  foundation  and  warrant  in 
the  Word  of  God  for  all  that  I  shall  repeat  in  your 
hearing  to-day.  If  my  spoken  thoughts  will  prove  as 
serviceable  to  you  as  the  search  for  them  has  been  sal- 
utary to  me,  I  shall  be  twice  blessed.  The  words  to 
which  I  have  called  your  attention  are  not  only  an 
exact  expression  of  all  I  am  anxious  to  say,  but  all  I 
wish  to  do  is  to  exemplify  the  truths  they  teach.  I 
am  not  unmindful  that  on  first  presentation  the  words 
may  seem  to  preclude  the  consideration  of  that  im- 
portant and  vital  part  of  the  minister's  calling,  desig- 
nated pastoral  duties.  But  I  am  convinced  that  ex- 
tended study  of  the  words  will  support  the  assertion 
that  everything  of  paramount  importance  in  regard  to 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE.  355 

the  preacher's  mission  is  embraced  in  these  words.  It 
is  true  the  verse  emphasizes  the  preacher  not  iu  con- 
tradistinction to  the  pastor,  however,  but  preaching 
as  inclusive  of  all  other  duties ;  and  the  message  not 
only  as  the  most  important  part  of  the  mission,  but  as 
the  power  which  generates  all  the  expended  force. 
The  message  is  looked  upon  as  the  sun  from  which 
radiates  and  to  which  converges  all  the  light  of  the 
ministerial  life.  This  is  not  only  true,  but  a  truth 
that  is  strangely  overlooked.  The  ministry  and  the 
message  are  one  and  inseparable.  The  minister  has 
no  identity,  if  he  be  true,  apart  from  his  message. 
The  message  has  no  meaning  apart  from  the  minister's 
life  back  of  it.  The  message  is  the  ministry  in  crys- 
tallization ;  the  ministry  is  the  message  in  exemplifica- 
tion. The  message  is  the  ministry  set  to  the  music  of 
the  cross.  It  is  the  life  of  the  minister  set  on  fire  by 
divine  love,  the  light  of  which  leads  the  lost  to  the 
Lord  of  life.  This  surely  includes  all  the  minister's 
work,  and  gives  perfect  freedom  for  the  exercise  of  all 
his  ambition  and  the  fulfilment  of  all  his  hopes. 
This  being  so,  the  preacher  as  man,  the  sermon  as 
message,  and  the  pastoral  duties  as  mission  are  one 
and  the  same.  Unitedly,  they  constitute  the  message ; 
isolated,  they  are  meaningless.  The  minister  is  first 
and  last  and  all  the  time  a  message;  therefore  the 
fundamental  truth  of  the  verse  becomes  the  natural 
basis  of  all  right-thinking  regarding  the  Christian 


356  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

miuistry.     To  this  truth  in  its  many  phases  I  there- 
fore invite  your  attention — 

The  Model  Message. 

Standing  as  you  do  on  the  threshold  of  the  ministry, 
with  a  long  and  arduous  preparation  back  of  you,  with 
a  mind  well  equipped  and  a  soul  on  fire  for  the  right 
fulfilment  of  the  sacred  obligations  you  have  assumed 
this  day,  your  spirit,  while  responsive  to  the  grave 
responsibilities  resting  upon  you,  yet  buoyed  up  by 
the  consciousness  of  divine  strength  and  inspired  by 
faith  that  laughs  at  difficulties  and  hope  that  defies 
failure,  it  can  not  be  too  seriously  urged  upon  you  to 
take  your  bearings,  and,  by  calm  and  prayerful  contem- 
plation of  the  work  you  have  set  out  to  accomplish, 
prepare  yourself  for  the  successful  fulfilment  of  it. 
You  are  entering  upon  the  career  of  a  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ.  You  are  to  be  a  herald  of  the  cross,  a 
personified  voice  to  the  people.  Henceforth  you  are 
to  live,  and,  if  needs  be,  to  die  to  express  the  best  you 
may  the  message  of  God's  love  to  man.  What  is  the 
burden  of  that  message?  How  may  you  best  convey 
that  message?  What  is  to  be  the  spirit  which  must 
ever  move  you  in  the  deliverance  of  that  message? 
These  are  questions  which  your  mind  will  instinctively 
declare  to  be  of  infinite  importance.  These  are  the 
truths  that  are  taught  concerning  the  model  message 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE.  357 

in  this  verse.     The  words  naturally  divide  themselves 
into  three  parts : 

I.  The  Matter.     "Whom  we  preach." 

II.  The  Manner.     "  Warning  every  man  and  teach- 
ing every  man  in  all  wisdom." 

III.  The  Motive.     "That  we  may  present  every 
man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus." 

I.   The  Matter.     "  Whom  we  preach."    The  burden 
of  your  message  and  the  subject  of  your  sermon  is  to 
be  Jesus  Christ.     You  are  to  present  Him  as  the  only 
Savior  of   the  world.     Whatever   else  your   sermon 
may  contain,  if  it  does  not  bring  Christ  in  His  saving 
grace  before  the  people,  it  is  not  the  model  message. 
To  preach  Christ  is  to  present  Him  in  all  that  He  is 
to  a  sin-sick  soul,  to  reveal  Him  as  the  only  Kedeemer 
of  the  world.     Your  calling  is  to  "  preach,"  not  theo- 
ries about  Jesus,  but  the  personal  Christ  as  tlie  only 
power  to  uplift  humanity.     What  the  world  wants  is 
to  see  Jesus,  and  your  work  is  to  show  Him  to  the 
world.     Other  men  may  speak  or  speculate  on  what 
others  have  seen  of  Christ,  but  you  must  live  for  no 
other  purpose  but  that  men  might  see  in  and  through 
you  the  Christ  you  have  seen.     This  must  ever  be  the 
standard  by  which  to  measure  the  value  of  your  mes- 
sage—how much  of   Christ  is  seen  in  it.     Never  be 
tempted  by  any  sophistry  away  from  this  position. 
Your  sermon  shows  Christ  or  shows  absolutely  nothing 
of  value.     To  the  extent  that  you  remember  this,  your 


358  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

preaching  -will  be  powerful  and  your  ministry  success- 
ful. As  you  deviate  from  this  position,  failure  will 
inevitably  follow  your  footsteps.  If  your  people  call 
for  anything  but  Christ,  take  it  as  a  call  from  God  to 
seek  a  call  from  another  church.  You  dare  not,  on 
the  peril  of  your  own  soul  and  the  welfare  of  souls 
committed  to  your  charge,  be  false  enough  to  offer  for 
those  hungering  for  bread,  a  stone.  Do  not  be  deceived 
into  believing  that  you  are  improving  your  office  by 
preaching  much  philosophy,  much  science,  much  mor- 
ality, and  that  you  can  squeeze  in  enough  Christ  in 
your  peroration  to  save  it  from  being  called  anything 
but  preaching  Christ.  Christ  will  be  through  the  ser- 
mon, permeating  the  whole,  illuminating  the  whole, 
or  absent  altogether.  This  does  not  mean  that  your 
sermon  is  to  contain  nothing  but  the  conventional 
"  Come  to  Jesus."  You  are  to  bring  every  truth  under 
tribute,  and  make  philosophy  and  science  and  all  that 
you  know  to  do  homage  to  Christ  Jesus,  and  to  help 
in  making  Him  better  known  of  the  people.  Do  not 
allow  any  one  to  convince  you  that  you  can  not  deal  in 
the  pulpit  with  practical  questions  and  preach  Christ. 
You  will  preach  Christ  every  time  you  will  seek  to 
bring  the  light  of  Christ  to  bear  on  the  life  of  the 
people.  You  must  not  forget  that  in  preaching  Christ 
you  must  preach  Him  as  the  Savior  of  society  as  well 
as  of  the  individual  soul.  He  is  the  Savior  of  the 
world,  and  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  are  to  become 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE.  559 

the  kingdoms  of  our  Christ.  Therefore  you  must  pre- 
sent Him  in  all  His  sufficiency  for  the  need  of  the 
whole  world.  Your  message  will  have  a  vital  relation 
to  all  the  questions  on  which  the  welfare  of  the  i)eople 
depend.  To  preach  Christ  is  to  bring  the  light  of  Christ 
to  bear  on  the  whole  life  of  man,  political,  social,  moral ; 
and  not  only  on  the  life  of  man  as  an  individual,  but 
man  as  a  race.  It  will  then  be  impossible  to  present 
your  message  unless  you  are  familiar  with  the  men  to 
whom  you  minister.  You  must  know  their  weal  and 
wo,  their  difficulties  and  their  dangers,  their  strength 
and  their  weakness,  their  pleasure  and  their  pain.  You 
must  keep  abreast  of  the  times,  and  ever  seek  to  read 
aright  the  trend  of  the  nation.  But  all  these  questions 
must  be  considered  from  the  Christian  standpoint,  and 
everything  treated  in  the  light  of  Christ's  cross.  The 
cross  is  to  be  the  center  of  your  cosmos,  and  salvation 
to  be  the  theme  of  every  sermon.  Do  not  think  that 
you  are  preaching  Christ  if  you  are  only  declaring  the 
law.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  glad  tidings.  It  is  a 
Gospel  of  gladness,  and  you  can  not  preach  it  but  in  the 
spirit  of  love.  Nothing  is  more  out  of  place  than 
pessimism  in  the  pulpit ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  commit 
a  greater  sin  against  society  than  to  employ  the  ser- 
mon to  scold  the  sinner  and  the  saint.  You  will  be 
tempted  ofttimes  to  stand  on  Sinai  and  hurl  your  thun- 
derbolts at  some  sinner  who  has  kindled  your  right- 
eous indignation ;   but  do  not  deceive  yourself  into 


360  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

thinking  that  that  is  preaching  Christ.  You  will  be 
tempted  to  play  to  the  gallery ;  to  appear  learned,  and 
attract  the  crowd.  But  remember  always  that  you  do 
this  at  the  risk  of  being  false  to  your  message  and 
faithless  to  your  Master.  Do  not  be  led  by  any  one 
to  imagine  that  the  so-called  evangelistic  sermon,  or 
revival  sermon,  is  the  only  way  to  preach  Christ,  or 
indeed  that  it  is  possible  to  preach  Christ  in  that  way. 
The  majority  of  such  preaching  is  nothing  but  sense- 
less sentimentality,  religious  cant,  pious  platitudes, 
and  fanaticism  assuming  the  role  of  faith.  Christ 
can  not  be  preached  save  in  the  sweet  reasonableness, 
awful  reality,  and  terrible  sincerity  of  truth.  May  I  { 
remind  you  that  the  word  "  preach  "  here  means  "  to 
tell  thoroughly "  ?  Preaching,  then,  is  to  tell  thor-  w 
oughly  of  Jesus  and  His  love.  Nothing  is  more  want- 
ing in  our  preaching  to-day  than  thoroughness.  Want 
of  completeness  mars  our  pulpit  utterances.  It  is 
impossible  to  tell  thoroughly  unless  we  know  thor- 
oughly, and  impossible  to  know  thoroughly  unless  we 
have  studied  thoroughly.  There  must  be  thorough 
preparation,  then.  The  work  demands  your  best. 
Let  no  other  work  interfere  with  your  pulpit  prepara- 
tion. Your  pulpit  is  your  throne.  Everything  must 
be  made  subservient  and  conducive  to  the  success  of 
the  message.  To  "  tell  thoroughly  "  you  must  have 
individual  acquaintance  with  Christ  Jesus.  You  must 
know  Him  in  all  that  He  is  to  the  soul.     You  must  have 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE.  361 

tasted  and  seen  that  He  is  good.  You  must  know  His 
power  to  save.  Knowing  this,  your  message  will  not 
have  an  element  of  doubt  in  it.  The  positive  note 
will  not  be  found  wanting.  You  will  not  preach  ne- 
gations if  your  message  is  the  result  of  conviction, 
and  no  space  will  be  allowed  in  the  sermon  for  specu- 
lation. To  "  tell  thoroughly"  of  Christ  requires  one- 
ness of  life  with  Him.  You  must  become  an  incarna- 
tion of  Christ,  and  your  whole  life  an  expression  of 
His  spirit.  You  must  learn  to  look  with  the  eyes  of 
Christ,  to  judge  with  the  mind  of  Christ,  to  feel  with 
the  heart  of  Christ,  and  to  will  with  the  will  of  Christ, 
before  you  can  preach  Him  thoroughly  to  the  world. 
Do  not  be  discouraged  because  so  much  is  required  of 
you.  Let  your  soul  be  pliable  to  the  influence  of 
Christ,  live  to  look  upon  the  beautiful  in  Christ  Jesus ; 
and  soon  Christ  will  be  seen  in  you,  and  your  message 
will  become  full  of  Christ,  because  it  will  have  been 
inspired  of  Christ  and  approved  of  Christ. 

II.  The  Manner.  "  Warning  every  man  and  teach- 
ing every  man  in  all  wisdom."  The  method  of  pre- 
senting the  message  is  second  in  importance  only  to 
the  message  itself.  The  manner  ranks  next  to  the 
matter.  Many  a  noble  message  has  been  ruined  by  an 
injudicious  presentation.  The  true  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ  will  ever  seek  the  best  way  possible  to  present 
the  truth  and  to  win  the  people  into  sympathy  with 
it.     The  Apostle  has  emphasized  here  the  manner  in 


362  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

which  the  message  is  to  be  presented.  Christ  is  to  be 
preached  by  "  warning  every  man  " ;  that  is,  by  recall- 
ing to  mind,  by  bringing  before  the  mind,  by  admon- 
ishing. It  is  impossible  to  preach  Christ  without  con- 
demning sin.  We  can  not  bring  the  world  to  love 
Christ  without  bringing  it  to  hate  iniquity  and  sin. 
It  is  necessary  not  only  that  man  should  be  reminded 
what  Christ  has  done  for  him,  but  that  the  evil  of  sin 
be  so  presented  to  him  that  he  will  learn  to  hate  it 
with  the  hatred  of  God's  holy  heart.  Man  is  sur- 
rounded by  temptation  and  is  constantly  in  danger  of 
falling  a  prey  to  his  evil  passions,  and  it  is  imperative 
that  the  message  contain  a  note  of  warning;  indeed, 
Christ  can  not  be  preached  all  in  all  unless  the  evil 
consequences  of  sin  are  kept  before  the  mind.  We 
must  preach  repentance  as  well  as  reconciliation. 
The  minister  is  a  watchman ;  therefore  it  is  necessary 
that,  when  he  behold  danger,  he  warn  the  people.  If 
we  would  preach  Christ,  we  must  preach  the  whole 
coimsel  of  God;  and  this  we  can  not  do  without  de- 
nouncing evil  in  all  its  phases.  Christianity  is  offen- 
sive and  defensive;  and  he  that  preaches  Christ  must 
preach  Him  as  the  enemy  of  all  evil  and  the  source  of 
all  good.  Churches  are  getting  fashionable  and  fas- 
tidious. You  will  find  that  the  preaching  that  ad- 
monishes will  not  always  be  the  most  welcome ;  but 
when  it  is  rejected  most,  it  is  usually  most  required. 
Christ  is  also  to  be  preached  by  "teaching  every 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE.  363 

man  " ;  that  is,  the  message  must  have  an  element  of 
the  educational  iu  it.  Our  preaching  must  be  intel- 
lectual, enlightening  the  mind  as  well  as  quickening 
the  conscience.  The  sermon -is  an  educational  instru- 
ment. Christ  is  the  Savior  of  our  entire  manhood, 
and  His  message  appeals  to  our  whole  nature.  In 
warning,  we  appeal  especially  to  the  emotional  nature ; 
but  in  teaching,  to  the  intellectual  nature.  Christ  is 
to  be  King  of  the  head  as  well  as  of  the  heart.  Be 
very  much  afraid  of  the  people  who  cry  down  true 
intellectuality.  They  are  the  enemies  of  truth  and 
Christ.  The  people  who  tell  you  that  they  do  not 
want  to  be  instructed  and  enlightened  simply  mean 
that  they  do  not  want  to  know  the  way  of  life. 
While  we  do  not  want  the  pulpit  to  be  a  parade  of 
learning,  yet  it  is  safe  to  assert  th^t  without  learning, 
without  the  power  to  generate  healthy  thinking  in  the 
people,  it  must  be  eternally  impotent  of  any  good. 
You  will  probably  find  that  one  of  your  greatest  temp- 
tations in  your  ministerial  life  will  be  to  tickle  the 
fancy  of  your  people  and  to  soothe  them,  rather  than 
to  instruct  and  educate.  It  is  easier  to  do  this  than 
to  prepare  strong  food ;  it  means  less  sacrifice,  less 
labor,  and  it  is  more  acceptable  with  the  general  con- 
gregation. When  the  people  will  not  eat  strong  food, 
we  are  tempted  to  give  them  something  that  they  will 
eat,  especially  as  they  have  power  to  select  their  own 
cooks.     But  shun  this  temptation  in  all  its  phases  aa 


364  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

your  deadly  foe ;  and  when  tempted  to  succumb,  go  to 
God  for  encouragement,  and  so  live  in  the  light  of 
Christ's  presence  that  you  will  become  a  light  to  the 
world.  But  you  must  warn  and  teach  in  all  wisdom. 
Tho  the  warning  must  be  earnest  and  the  teaching 
thorough,  both  must  be  done  wisely.  Discretion  is  to 
be  used,  and  the  message  suited  to  the  time  and  place. 
The  meaning  of  the  word  "  wisdom  "  here  is  "  skill, " 
and  you  well  know  how  skill  is  necessary  in  the 
sacred  art  of  preaching.  Skill  will  come  only  by  long 
and  patient  practise.  This  you  will  learn  by  many  a 
failure.  No  skill  is  more  important  or  yet  more  diffi- 
cult to  acquire  than  the  skill  of  preaching.  Indeed, 
it  comes  only  as  we  are  instructed  of  God.  This  skill 
means  the  mastery  of  the  art  of  preaching :  not  only 
the  possession  of  the  best  message,  but  the  power  to 
present  it  in  the  best  manner,  with  the  best  results. 
Seek  to  be  a  skilful  sermonizer.  To  do  this,  you  must 
know  the  mind  of  your  Master  and  the  minds  of  the 
men  to  whom  you  minister.  If  you  possess  the  true 
skill,  you  will  attain  the  true  success.  But  you  must 
not  only  warn  and  teach  in  all  wisdom,  you  must  "vrarn 
and  teach  in  all  wisdom  every  man.  You  must  be 
impartial.  You  must  not  have  one  message  to  the 
rich  and  another  to  the  poor ;  but  you  must  have  the 
right  message,  given  in  the  right  manner  to  the  right 
audience.  The  illiterate  will  need  instruction,  and 
the  learned  will  need  warning.     You  must  seek  at  all 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 


365 


cost,  as  a  man  of  God,  without  fearing  the  frowns  or 
courting  the  favors  of  any,  to  declare  the  whole  coun- 
sel of  God.  Your  Gospel  is  a  message  for  every  man, 
in  every  condition,  and  in  every  clime.  It  will  be 
impossible  to  present  the  message  in  a  suitable  mamier 
unless  you  are  familiar  with  your  people.  ISIoreover, 
it  will  be  impossible  for  the  message  to  have  its 
proper  influence  upon  your  people  unless  they  have 
personal  acquaintance  with  you. 

III.   The  Motive.      "That  we  may  present  every 
man  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus."     It  is  imperative  that 
we  have  the  right  message  and  present  it  not  only  in 
the  right  manner,  but  also  from  a  right  motive.     The 
true  motive  of  Christian  preaching  is  the  salvation  of 
the  whole  man,  physical,  mental,  spiritual.     The  min- 
istry is  to  aim  at  the  redemption  of  the  whole  race, 
and  Jesus  Christ  must  be  preached  as  a  Savior  not 
only  from  the  consequences  of  sin,  but  from  the  power 
of  sin.     The  Gospel  of  Christ  Jesus  is  God's  method 
of  making  man  perfect.     Christianity  is  God's  race- 
making  power,  and  Christ  Jesus,  the  Perfect  Man,  is 
to  be  the  head  of  a  perfect  race.     Any  preaching  that 
aims  at  anything  less  than  to  perfect  our  entire  man- 
hood is  not  preaching  Christ.     Everything  that  we 
say  and  do  ought  to  be  conducive  to  the  realization  of 
this  glorious  and  universal  salvation  of  man.     We 
ought  to  strive  for  the  removal  of  all  evil  and  for  the 
increase  of  every  good.     To  present  every  man  per- 


366  THE  MODEL  MESSAGE. 

feet  in  Christ  Jesus  is  a  great  but  a  grand  endeavor. 
It  is  a  work  worthy  of  God  Himself.  To  present ;  that  >A 
is,  "  to  set  alongside  "  of  Christ  Jesus.  Perfect,  com- 
plete ;  therefore  the  motive  of  all  our  preaching  is  to 
place  every  man  complete,  even  side  by  side  with 
Christ  Jesus,  Were  it  not  that  infinite  love  and  om- 
nipotent powers  are  engaged  in  this  work,  we  might 
well  despair  of  ever  realizing  it.  How  imperfect  we 
appear  when  compared  with  the  best  of  men,  and  how 
immeasurably  imperfect  the  majority  of  men  appear 
when  compared  to  Christ  Jesus !  Nevertheless,  it  is 
the  glorious  truth  that  "  every  man"  is  to  become  so 
conformed  to  the  image  of  Christ  as  to  be  complete  in 
Him.  To  be  entirely  like  Him,  without  spot  or  blem- 
ish, clothed  with  the  same  glory,  moved  by  the  same 
spirit,  living  the  same  life.  Oh,  glorious  aim!  This 
is  worthy  of  the  best  that  is  in  us.  Magnify  your 
privilege.  Do  not  let  the  responsibility  outweigh 
your  sense  of  appreciation  of  your  golden  opportunities. 
A  coworker  with  God  in  making  man  perfect  and  in 
winning  the  world  back  as  a  crown  for  Christ  Jesus ! 
Remember  always  that  perfection  is  impossible  out  of 
Christ  Jesus,  but  that  perfection  is  ever  possible  in 
Him  for  all  men.  Remember  that  the  final  result  is 
assured;  that  the  world  belongs  to  Emmanuel,  and 
that  the  whole  force  of  the  triune  God  is  exerted  in 
the  work  of  uplifting  man.  Let  this  be  your  stay 
when  tempted  to  be  discouraged  by  the  difficulties 


THE  MODEL  MESSAGE.  367 

surrounding  you  and  the  enormity  of  the  work. 
Christ  must  triumph  until  every  knee  shall  bow  to 
Him  and  every  tongue  confess  Him  Lord.  Seek, 
therefore,  with  all  diligence,  in  season  and  out  of  sea- 
son, to  deliver  the  best  message  in  the  best  manner, 
through  the  best  motive;  and  God  will  see  to  it  that 
it  will  bear  the  best  results.  May  you  have  prosper- 
ity and  peace  in  your  ministry,  and  may  your  preach- 
ing be  a  power  used  of  God  for  making  men  perfect 
in  Christ  Jesus. 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

By  Rev.  John  Hughes  Parry,  Utica,  N.  Y. 

"  But  Jesus  said  unto  them,  They  need  not  depart ;  give  ye 
them  to  eat.  " — Matt.  xiv.  16. 

These  words  occur  in  the  account  of  the  miraculous 
feeding  of  the  live  thousand,  and  contain  the  germ  out 
of  which  the  whole  miracle  was  developed.  The  four 
evangelists  describe  for  us  this  miraculous  feeding, 
the  only  one  of  all  the  miracles  of  Christ  that  is  so 
described.  This  is  an  indication  of  the  importance 
attached  to  it  by  the  writers,  and  is  all  the  more  re- 
markable when  we  remember  that  it  finds  a  place  in 
the  Fourth  Gospel^  the  most  mystical  and  spiritual  of 
the  four. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  enter  into  all  the  details  of 
the  miracle.  I  take  for  granted  that  they  are  familiar 
to  you.  But  there  is  one  item,  contributed  by  John 
alone,  that  is,  I  think,  important  as  being  the  key  to 
the  whole  situation.  According  to  the  Synoptists,  the 
disciples  took  the  initiative  in  the  matter  (Matt.  xiv. 
15).  But  according  to  John,  the  Master  had  much 
earlier  in  the  day  approached  Philip  on  the  subject, 
368 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  369 

and  had  asked  him :  "  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread 
that  these  may  eat?"  "Why  Philip,  and  not,  say, 
Peter?  Perhaps  because  he  was  known  in  the  little 
company  as  the  most  practical  of  the  twelve.  All  his 
sayings  that  have  been  handed  doAvn  to  us  certainly 
warrant  us  in  thinking  of  him  as  a  very  practical  man. 
"And  this  he  said  to  prove  him,  for  he  himself 
knew  what  he  would  do. "  "  To  prove  him  " ;  that  is, 
to  see  whether  he  had  faith  or  not.  What  a  grand 
opportunity  for  faith!  How  well  might  Philip  have 
said :  "  With  men  this  is  impossible,  but  with  Thee, 
O  Christ,  Son  of  the  living  God,  all  things  are  pos- 
sible." But  instead  of  faith,  Philip  resorted  to  arith- 
metic ;  and  in  this  the  church  has  ever  since  been  too 
ready,  with  far  less  excuse,  to  follow  his  example, 
much  to  the  detriment  of  the  great  work  of  feeding 
the  world's  famishing  multitude. 

Philip's  practical  mind  was  soon  at  work  preparing 
an  estimate  of  the  probable  cost  of  a  meal  for  the 
crowd.  It  is  a  simple  sum  in  multiplication:  five 
thousand  men  alone  at  one  twenty-fifth  of  a  penny 
per  head — yes,  it  would  come  to  just  two  hundred 
pence.  And  it  must  be  no  "square,"  but  a  very 
"spare,"  meal  at  that.  Besides,  when  did  Treasurer 
Judas  ever  have  such  a  sum  as  that  in  his  bag?  Thus 
revolving  the  matter  in  his  mind,  and,  we  may  well 
suppose,  holding  frequent  and  anxious  consultations 
on  the  subject  with  his  brother  apostles  during  the 
24 


370  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

day,  the  only  way  out  of  the  diflBculty  that  either  he 
or  they  could  arrive  at  was,  "Send  the  multitude 
away. "  In  the  words  of  our  text  we  have  the  Mas- 
ter's reply  to  their  somewhat  forward  advice,  and 
you  know  how  amply  His  statement  was  verified  and 
His  command  was  justified  by  the  miracle  that  fol- 
lowed. 

Simple  as  the  narrative  is,  it  takes  us  out  of  our 
depth  when  we  attempt  to  understand  or  to  explain 
the  hoiv  of  it.  We  do  not  know  how,  any  more  than 
we  do  in  the  case  of  another  somewhat  analogous 
miracle — that  at  Cana.  In  that  "  beginning  of  signs  " 
there  was  a  miraculous  change  of  quality;  in  the 
present  instance,  a  miraculous  increase  of  quantity. 
But  at  what  precise  moment  the  miracle  comes  in  in 
either  case,  it  is  impossible  to  say. 

The  tvhi/  of  the  miracle  appears  to  be  easier  to 
answer.  The  answer  that  probably  comes  readiest 
to  the  question.  Why  was  this  miracle  wrought?  is  that 
the  people  were  hungry,  and,  blessed  be  His  name! 
Christ  was  not  above  being  actuated  by  such  consider- 
ations. He  who  was  so  sparing  of  His  power  when 
His  own  physical  wants  were  concerned,  used  it  freely 
for  the  benefit  of  others.  He  who  would  not  command 
that  the  stones  be  made  bread  to  break  His  forty  days' 
fast,  wrought  a  miracle  that  was  quite  as  wonderful  in 
order  that  the  multitude  might  break  their  fast  of  a 
few  hours.     Yes,  of  a  few  hours ;  for  there  was  not 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  371 

here  the  same  urgency  that  there  was  in  the  case  of 
the  four  thousand,  who  had  been  in  attendance  on  the 
Great  Teacher  three  days,  and  were  iu  danger  of 
"fainting  in  the  way." 

But  a  farther  and  a  higher  reason  is  to  be  found  in 
the  Gospel  of  John,  who  tells  us  that  it  was  passover 
time  when  the  miracle  took  place.  The  Savior  did 
not  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  that  feast,  because  the  Jews 
sought  to  kill  Him.  But  the  real  passover  that  year 
was  held,  not  in  Jerusalem,  but  at  Bethsaida  Julias, 
where  the  Great  Antitype  set  Himself  forth  symboli- 
cally, as  on  the  following  day,  in  the  synagog  at 
Capernaum,  He  set  Himself  forth  doctrinally  as  the 
food  of  the  world.  No  doubt  He  had  iu  His  mind  on 
this  occasion  the  same  profound  thought  that,  in  the 
upper  room  at  Jerusalem,  twelve  months  later,  He 
expressed  in  the  never-to-be-forgotten  words,  "  Take, 
eat;  this  is  my  body." 

There  was  still  another  reason  why  He  wrought  that 
miracle.  It  has  been  well  said  that  the  miracles  of 
Christ  were  acted  parables.  They  were  intended  to 
be  not  only  acts  of  beneficence  to  suffering  humanity 
and  proofs  that  the  Worker  had  come  from  God — they 
were,  of  course,  both  one  and  the  other ;  but  they  were 
also  meant  to  set  forth  and  illustrate,  and  did  set  forth 
and  illustrate,  the  great  principles  which  underlie  the 
spiritual  redemption  through  Christ.  They  were  ob- 
ject-lessons in  the  "  philosophy  of  the  plan  of  salva- 


372  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

tion . "  It  was  once  remarked — and  the  remark  has  been 
freely  quoted  since — that  the  miracles  were  the  church 
bell  calling  attention  to  the  service  going  on  within. 
According  to  the  view  we  are  now  taking,  they  were  not 
only  that,  but  also  a  part,  and  a  very  important  part, 
of  the  service  itself.  Viewed  thus,  the  miraculous  feed- 
ing of  the  five  thousand  was  a  Missionary  Sermon,  in 
which  is  set  forth  the  provision  which  God  has  made 
for  a  perishing  world,  and  also  the  means  which  He 
has  appointed  to  bring  this  provision  within  the  reach 
of  those  for  whom  it  is  made.  In  order  to  see  this  to 
better  advantage,  let  us  note  in  succession  these  three 
points : 

I.  An  Embarrassing  Situation.  II.  A  Startling 
Demand.     III.  A  Glorious  Consummation. 

I.  Ati  Emharrassirig  Situation.  It  does  not  re- 
quire an  exceptionally  active  imagination  to  take 
in  the  hopelessness  of  the  situation  in  which  the 
disciples  found  themselves.  Here  are  some  five 
thousand  hungry  people  in  a  "desert  place,"  with- 
out food  and  no  place  near  where  food  can  be  pro- 
cured, thrown  on  the  resources  of  a  handful  of  people 
as  poor  as  any  of  themselves,  who  not  only  had  no 
victuals  to  put  before  their  guests,  but  had  no  means 
wherewith  to  procure  them  even  if  they  had  been  pro- 
curable in  the  desert.  Yes,  it  was  a  sore  plight  to  be 
in.  But  it  occurred  to  the  disciples  that  there  was  a 
short  and  easy  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and  they 


A  MISSIONARY  SEEMON.  373 

forthwith  suggested  it  to  their  Master :   "  Send  the 
multitude  away." 

But  what  is  the  situation  that  confronts  us  to- 
day? Not  five  thousand,  but  fifteen  hundred  mil- 
lions, the  overwhelming  majority  of  wljom  are  '*  des- 
troyed for  lack  of  knowledge."  "  There  is  a  famine 
in  the  land";  that  is,  in  the  world;  "not  a  famine 
of  bread,  nor  a  thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing  the 
words  of  the  Lord."  We  read  and  hear  most  cheer- 
ing news  of  increased  missionary  efforts,  and  the 
great  success  which  attends  those  efforts  of  late  years ; 
and  to  a  loyal  subject  of  our  King  there  can  be  no 
more  interesting  reading  or  more  joyful  news.  The 
devoted  army  of  missionaries  who  have  gone  out  in 
Christ's  name  may  say,  "  The  Lord  hath  done  great 
things  for  us,"  and  we  may  join  in  the  song  and  add, 
"  Whereof  we  are  glad. "  But  there  is  another  side  to 
the  question  which  we  can  not  ignore.  It  is  to  be 
feared  the  church  has  not  yet  realized  the  fact — for 
fact  it  is — that  the  vast  majority  of  the  human  race 
to-day  are  heathens,  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
only  true  God  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  He  has  sent. 
Let  us  try  and  take  in  the  situation  as  it  really  is. 
Think  of  the  teeming  millions  who  have  no  god  but 
idols.  Then,  again,  it  is  estimated  that  about  a  fourth 
— some  think  a  third — of  the  human  race  profess 
Buddhism,  a  system  founded  centuries  before  Christ; 
and  has  now  more  disciples  than  at  any  time  in  its 


374  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

history,  Christianity  notwithstanding.  Then  there 
is  Mohammedanism — that  bloody,  blighting,  and 
sensual  travesty  on  religion — founded  centuries  later 
than  Christianity,  and  the  most  fierce  and  relentless 
antagonist  Christianity  has  to  contend  with  this  day, 
next  to  Satan  and  his  hosts  who  inspire  it;  this 
abomination  is  professed  by  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  our  race.  There  is  but  a  minority 
left  for  Christianity — even  nominal  Christianity.  But 
here  comes  what  is  to  me  one  of  the  most  dishearten- 
ing features  of  the  situation ;  namely,  that  by  far  the 
most  numerous  of  the  sections  into  which  Christendom 
is  divided  is  a  very  degenerate  form  of  Christianity — 
and  the  worst  degeneracy  is  the  degeneracy  of  the 
best  thing.  This  corrupt  form  of  Christianity  has  an 
estimated  adherency  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  mil- 
lions, and  to  these  millions  the  Bible — Christianity's 
own  book,  the  handbook  of  eternal  life — is  a  forbid- 
den book.  So  it  is  also  to  the  adherents  of  the  Greek 
church,  a  formidable  rival  to  its  Roman  sister  in  cor- 
ruption, tho  not  in  numbers. 

Protestantism  is  the  only  form  of  evangelical  relig- 
ion in  our  days,  and  it  constitutes,  as  we  can  not  help 
seeing,  but  a  very  small  fraction  of  the  human  race. 
But  then,  are  there  not  millions  all  over  the  world  who 
are  only  Protestants  in  the  sense  of  not  being  Roman 
Catholics;  who,  like  Gallio  of  old,  care  for  none  of 
these  things;  who  are  not  sufficiently  interested  in 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  375 

Christ  even  to  be  attracted  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  of  His  love  and  His  cross;  who,  perhaps, 
never  use  His  name  except  in  blasphemy?  And  yet  in 
any  religious  census  they  would  be  counted  as  Protes- 
tants and  Christians !  Then,  again,  there  are  multi- 
tudes who  are  hearers,  and  not  doers,  of  the  Word ;  and 
worst  of  all,  there  are  some  who  have  Sifonn  of  godli- 
ness, but  having  denied  the  poioer  thereof.  I  am,  I 
hope,  no  pessimist;  that  is  just  what  a  Christian,  and 
certainly  a  Christian  minister,  ought  not  to  be.  But 
in  view  of  the  state  of  things  which  I  have  repre- 
sented to  you — and  I  shall  be  only  too  glad  if  it  can 
be  shown  that  it  is  not  so  bad  as  represented — one  is 
most  assuredly  at  times  forced  to  ask,  "  Are  there  few 
that  be  saved?" — that  is,  are  there  few  that  be  Christ's 
own  true,  devoted  followers,  of  all  the  precious  souls 
for  whom  He  died?  And  this  state  of  things  nine- 
teen centuries  after  this  sin-cursed  earth  of  ours  was 
reddened  by  the  redeeming  blood  of  its  King,  and  His 
voice  was  heard  on  earth :  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from 
the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me." 

Where  lies  the  responsibility?  Do  we  not  some- 
times come  perilously  near  blaspheming  the  grace  of 
God  by  attributing  the  slow  progress  of  the  church  in 
the  world  to  the  restraining  of  His  spirit?  Is  not 
this  as  if  we  were  asking  the  disciples'  question  over 
again,  "Master,  carest  thou  not  that  we  perish?" 
Carest  Thou   not   that   the//  perish — the  multitudes 


376  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

who  through  the  centuries  perish  for  lack  of  knowl- 
edge? How  can  we,  and  repeat,  as  we  do  so  often, 
"  For  God  so  loved  the  world, "  etc.  ?  How  can  we, 
when  the  Eedeemer  of  the  world  is  waiting  for  the 
reward  of  His  travail  unto  death ;  when  His  spirit  is 
waiting  to  glorify  Him ;  when  His  Father  is  waiting 
to  be  gracious  unto  a  sinful  world  for  His  sake;  when 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises  are  hovering 
over  us  like  clouds,  charged  with  infinite  blessings, 
and  more  than  ready  to  deluge  the  world  with  their 
life-giving  contents? 

The  multitude  is  certainly  perishing  of  spiritual 
hunger;  but,  "Say  not  in  thine  heart.  Who  shall 
ascend  into  heaven,"  to  bring  down  food  for  them  lest 
they  die;  for  the  Bread  of  Life  is  nigh  them,  and 
there  is  enough  of  it  and  to  spare.  "  For  the  bread 
of  God  is  He  which  cometh  down  from  heaven  and 
giveth  life  unto  the  world."  Why,  then,  does  the 
world  perish?  It  is  because  the  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  food  and  the  world — that  is,  the  church — 
is,  as  has  been  forcibly  and  somewhat  wittily  said,  too 
much  of  a  missing  link. 

You  may  possibly  be  inclined  to  say :  "  All  this  is 
very  well,  but  what  about  the  fixed  purposes  and 
decrees  of  God?  "  I  believe  in  them.  I  could  not 
believe  in  God  without  believing  in  them.  But  I  also 
believe  that  our  rule  of  conduct,  both  as  individuals 
and  as  churches,  is  not  the  decrees,  but  the  command- 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  377 

ments  of  God.  Is  not  the  command,  "  Go  ye,  there- 
fore " — because  "  all  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth  " — "  and  make  disciples  of  all  nations  " — 
is  not  t/utt  as  fixed  and  unalterable  as  any  purpose  of 
the  Most  High?  Depend  upon  it,  brethren,  that  as 
sure  as  that  He  has  decreed  to  save  the  world,  He  has 
also  decreed  that  it  shall  be  done  in  this  way.  This 
brings  us  to  the  second  point — namely : 

II.  A  Stai-tling  Demand.  On  that  memorable  day 
in  "  a  desert  place"  there  were  proposed  two  ways  out 
of  the  difficulty.  One  was  the  way  of  the  disciples, 
the  other  the  way  of  their  Master;  one  was  the  way 
of  selfishness,  the  other  the  way  of  love ;  one  was  the 
way  of  convenience,  the  otlier  the  way  of  duty ;  one 
was  the  broad  way,  the  other  the  narrow  way — in 
short,  one  was  man's  way,  the  other  God's  way.  The 
way  of  the  disciples  was,  "  Send  the  multitude  away." 
This  proposal  had  the  advantage  of  being  easy  and 
expeditious — qualities  that  have  recommended  it  to 
too  many  disciples  ever  since.  These  men  were  afraid 
of  responsibility.  Taking  into  consideration  the 
largeness  of  the  crowd,  the  inconvenience  of  the  des- 
ert, and  their  own  poverty,  they  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  they  could  not  help  them,  and  went  the 
length  of  suggesting  to  their  Master,  if  not,  indeed, 
of  urging  on  Him,  to  dismiss  them.  They  had  evi- 
dently counted  the  cost,  but  unfortunately  they  had 
left  out  of  their  calculation  by  far  the  most  important 


378  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

item,  and  that  was  the  presence  of  omnipotence  among 
them. 

Calculation  is  a  very  good  and  necessary  thing ;  but 
the  world  will  never  be  saved  by  calculation,  but  by 
unbounded  faith  in  the  assurance,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

"Give  ye  them  to  eat."  That  is  Christ's  way. 
Do  you  say  that  it  is  impossible?  Every  duty  is  im- 
possible. !6ut  if  God  command  a  thing,  the  very  com- 
mand involves  the  possibility.  If  He  command  the 
children  of  Israel  to  go  forward,  even  when  going  for- 
ward meant  going  into  the  sea,  let  them  go  forward, 
and  the  sea  will  become  the  King's  highway  under 
their  feet.  If  Christ  say  to  that  helpless,  palsied, 
miserable  being,  "Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go 
unto  thine  house,"  then  let  him  arise,  and  he  will 
find  that  his  palsied  limbs  have  the  vigor  of  youth  in 
them,  and  that  his  decrepid  frame  pulsates  with  a  new 
life.  If  He  say  to  His  church  to-day,  "  Give  ye  them 
to  eat, "  be  sure  the  power  to  obey  comes  in  the  act  of 
obedience.  And  you  can  not  plead  the  insignificance 
of  your  resources  as  an  excuse  for  disobedience  or 
neglect.  You  observe  that  Christ  did  not  increase 
their  store  first,  and  then  use  it,  but  used  it  as  it  was, 
and  so  made  it  enough  for  all,  altho  it  consisted  of 
but  five  barley  loaves  which  were  small  in  size  and 
poor  in  quality — the  food  of  the  poor  people.  "  "We 
have  here  but  five  loaves  and  two  fishes,"  said  the 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  379 

disciples — and  many  a  timid,  do-nothing  disciple  since. 
"Bring  them  hither  to  me,"  Christ  said — and  says 
still.  "  We  have  here  but  five  loaves  and  two  fishes" : 
that  is  not  the  cause  of  failure.  "  Bring  them  hither 
to  me" :  that  is  the  secret  of  success.  Brethren,  the 
measure  of  duty  is  not  our  resources,  but  the  com- 
mand of  Christ. 

III.  A  Glorious  Consummation.  Yes;  it  was  not 
only  done,  but  done  munificently.  "  And  they  did  all 
eat,  and  were  filled."  How  paltry  and  mean  seemed 
Philip's  calculation,  his  "two  hundred  pennyworth," 
and  "  every  one  of  them  taking  a  little, "  by  the  side 
of  that  ample  repast!  And  He  is  still  "able  to  do 
exceeding  abimdantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think. " 
The  resources  of  His  salvation  are  boundless,  the  pro- 
vision of  His  grace  inexhaustible.  You  may  venture 
to  open  wide  the  doors  and  invite  the  whole  world  to 
come  in.  There  will  be  bread  enough  and  to  spare. 
The  guests  can  never  be  too  numerous  for  the  provi- 
sion made  for  them.  The  late  C.  H.  Spurgeon  used 
to  say  that  when  he  looked  at  the  streets  and  resorts 
of  London,  and  saw  the  numberless  crowds  of  human 
beings  with  which  they  teemed,  he  wondered  where  all 
that  throng  could  find  something  to  eat;  but  when  he 
saw  the  vast  market-places  of  London,  charged  full 
with  food  supplies,  his  wonder  then  was,  where  could 
people  enough  be  found  to  consume  them.  I  repeat, 
the  Gospel  provision  is  inexhaustible,  and  it  needs 


380  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

must  be  so.  A  single  soul  can  be  satisfied  witb  noth- 
ing short  of  the  Infinite ;  and  the  Infinite  is  capable  of 
satisfying  the  needs  of  the  whole  world ;  and  when 
that  is  done  it  is  still  the  Infinite. 

But  observe  the  manner  in  which  it  was  done. 
**  He  gave  the  loaves  to  the  disciples,  and  the  disciples 
to  the  multitude. "  It  has  been  truly  said  that  the 
most  glorious  fact  in  Scripture  or  history,  next  to 
the  mediatorship  of  Christ,  is  the  mediatorship  of  the 
church  of  Christ.  There  is  one  Mediator  between 
God  and  men  who  wins  God's  gifts  for  men;  there 
are  many  mediators  who,  in  Christ's  name  and  for 
His  sake,  distribute  God's  gifts,  and  especially  the 
bread  of  life,  to  men.  And  we  are  never  so  like 
Christ  as  when  we  are  engaged  in  this  work. 

And  notice,  further,  the  reflex  action  of  this  media- 
torship, for  it  blessed  those  that  gave  even  more  than 
those  that  took.  There  were  five  loaves  and  two 
fishes  at  the  first;  five  thousand  men  were  fed,  and 
twelve  baskets  remained.  Spared,  the  five  loaves  and 
two  fishes  would  scarcely  make  a  basketful;  shared, 
it  was  increased  twelvefold.  "  There  is  that  scattereth 
and  yet  increaseth,  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more 
than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty  "  (Prov.  xi. 
24) .  True  in  the  time  of  Solomon ;  true  at  all  times ; 
true  in  America  to-day. 

I  remember  that  when  a  child,  one  of  my  most  cher- 
ished treasures   was   a  small  wooden  box,   gaudily 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMOX.  381 

painted,  safely  locked,  and  having  a  slit  in  the  lid 
through  which  my  pennies  went  into  safe-keeping. 
This  sacred  shrine  used  to  go  by  the  name  of  "  cadiv- 
mi-gei, "  which,  being  interpreted,  is,  *'  save,  and  thou 
shalt  find. "  Now,  that  is  a  very  good  piece  of  worldly 
wisdom.  But  the  wisdom  from  above  says,  "  Give, 
and  thou  shalt  find."  All  that  we  are  and  all  that 
we  have  are  God's  gifts,  to  be  used  for  God  and  hu- 
manity. But  in  that  use  lies  our  most  precious  riches. 
If  you  want  the  best  possible  return  for  your  money, 
lay  it  up  in  heaven ;  invest  it  in  the  greatest  concern 
going — namely,  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  right- 
eousness. You  may  possibly  be  richly  paid  in  kind, 
altho  that  does  not  always  follow.  But  whether 
or  no,  your  "  twelve  baskets  full"  will  return  unto  you 
in  blessings  that  all  the  wealth  of  the  universe  can  not 
buy.  I  have  just  spoken  of  likeness  to  Christ.  The 
more  like  Him  we  become,  the  more  work  we  shall 
attempt  for  Him ;  and  the  more  work  for  Him  we  shall 
attempt,  the  more  like  Him  shall  we  bceome.  There 
is  action  and  reaction. 

Why  is  it  that  the  spiritual  life  in  our  churches  is 
so  low — its  pulse  in  many  a  church  beating  so  feebly 
as  to  be  almost  imperceptible,  and  making  it  doubtful 
whether  the  words  of  Christ  to  the  church  at  Sardis 
are  not  applicable  to  this  church  also,  "  Thou  hast  a 
name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead" — why  is  it?  Is 
it  that  they  do  not  get  spiritual  sustenance  in  adequate 


382  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

quantity  or  quality?  Not  necessarily.  I  believe  that 
in  most  churches — even  in  most  of  the  do-nothing 
churches — the  Gospel  is  preached  in  its  fulness  and 
purity.  Why,  then,  this  low  vitality?  It  is  because 
they  do  not  take  exercise,  which,  as  you  know,  is 
essential  to  good  health,  and  essential  even  to  life  in 
the  long  run.  It  is  because  they  "  stand  all  the  day 
idle."  It  is  because  lips  are  closed  which  should 
spread  abroad  the  Savior's  name  and  famej  it  is  be- 
cause hands  are  folded  which  should  sow  the  seed  of 
the  kingdom ;  it  is  because  pockets  are  closed  to  the 
claims  of  God's  work  that  respond  readily  to  inferior 
claims.  How  can  we  expect  spiritual  prosperity  in 
churches  where  the  members  spend  a  dollar  on  luxuries 
for  every  cent  they  pay  toward  the  extension  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  in  the  world?  What  a  reproach 
it  is  on  the  Christianity  of  the  United  States  and 
of  Britain  that  the  money  spent  on  strong  drink  in 
either  country  in  one  year  would  probably  furnish 
sufficient  funds  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole 
world ! 

Would  you  have  higher,  deeper,  richer  Christian 
experience?  Would  you  have  the  assurance,  full 
and  well  founded,  of  your  own  salvation?  Then  help 
Christ  to  save  the  world. 

Oh,  for  a  larger  measure  of  His  spirit,  "  who  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister !  "  Oh,  for 
a  deeper  experience  of  His  love !     This  love  does  not 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  383 

enervate  as  some  less  worthy  loves  do,  but  elevates, 
inspires,  constrains  our  whole  being  into  consecrated 
activity  in  His  service,  which  is  also  the  highest  ser- 
vice of  our  fellow  man.  I  was  amused,  edified,  and 
rebuked  to  read  not  long  ago  an  account  given  by  a 
gentleman  who  has  paid  much  attention  to  the  habits 
of  ants,  of  a  remarkable  instance  of  sagacity,  if  not 
something  more,  in  those  wonderful  little  creatures. 
He  laid  a  piece  of  sweetmeat  on  a  table,  and  then 
picked  up  an  ant  and  placed  it  on  the  sweetmeat. 
He  was  astonished  to  see  the  little  creature  rapidly 
descend  by  one  of  the  legs  of  the  table  and  seek 
his  fellows.  They  appear  to  have  understood  the 
news.  He  then  at  once  turned  back,  followed  by 
a  long  train  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  conducted 
them  to  the  feast.  "Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard: 
consider  her  ways,  and  be  wise." 

"Can  we  whose  souls  are  lighted 
With  wisdom  from  on  liigh, — 
Can  we  to  men  benighted 
The  lamp  of  life  deny? 
Salvation  !  oh,  salvation  1 

Tlie  joyful  sound  proclaim, 
Till  each  remotest  nation 

Has  learned  Messiah's  name.  " 

But  not  only  compassion  for  our  fellow  men,  but  also, 
and  primarily,  loyalty  to  our  King,  should  move  us  to 
the  most  devoted  and  untiring  efforts  for  the  evangel- 


384  A  MISSIONARY  SERMON. 

ization  of  the  world.  A  little  child  once  went  to  a 
missionary  meeting,  where  she  was  much  impressed 
by  a  missionary  map  of  the  world  which  was  exhibited 
there,  on  which  the  Christian  countries  were  colored 
red.  She  was  painfully  struck  by  the  smallness  of 
the  territory  assigned  to  her  much-loved  Savior;  and 
on  reaching  home  she  immediately  took  steps  to  rem- 
edy, as  she  thought,  that  very  unsatisfactory  state  of 
things  by  daubing  red  paint  all  over  a  map  of  the 
world  that  was  hanging  up  on  the  wall  of  her  father's 
library.  On  being  asked  for  an  explanation,  she  said 
she  wanted  all  the  world  for  Jesus.  Ah !  my  little 
maiden,  it  is  not  so  easy  as  all  that;  but  if  all  who 
profess  the  name  of  Christ  were  only  actuated  by  thy 
loyal  zeal  for  the  Master  and  His  kingdom,  the  earth 
would  soon  be  reddened.  Do  not  forget,  brethren, 
the  way  in  which  it  is  to  be  done :  "  He  gave  .  .  . 
to  His  disciples,  and  the  disciples  to  the  multitude." 

"Lord  of  the  living  harvest 

That  whitens  o'er  the  plain, 
Where  angels  soon  shall  gather 

Their  sheaves  of  golden  grain ; 
Accept  these  hands  to  labor, 

These  hearts  to  trust  and  love, 
And  deign  with  them  to  hasten 

Thy  kingdom  from  above. 

"  As  laborers  in  Thy  vineyard, 
Send  us,  O  Christ,  to  be 


A  MISSIONARY  SERMON.  385 

Content  to  bear  the  burden 

Of  weary  days  for  Thee  ; 
Wo  ask  no  other  wages, 

When  Thou  shalt  call  us  home, 
But  to  have  shared  the  travail 

Which  makes  Thy  kingdom  come. " 
25 


SYMMETRICAL    DEVELOPMENT    OF 
CHARACTER. 

By   Eev.    Thomas    Parry,  D.D.,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

"  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father,  .  .  .  that  ye  may  be 
strengthened  with  power  through  his  spirit  in  the  inner 
man,  .  .  .  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  .  .  .  that  ye 
be  filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of  God.  " — Ephes.  iii.  14-19. 

Paul  was  at  Ms  best  when  delineating  the  growth 
of  Christ  in  the  soul.  He  delighted  to  unfold  the 
different  stages  of  character.  He  is  charming  when 
following  the  progress  of  man  from  a  less  into  a  larger 
humanity.  With  great  pleasure  he  notes  the  changes 
of  disposition,  the  gradual  increase  of  the  likeness  of 
Christ,  and  the  enlargement  of  the  heart  to  have 
a  greater  capacity  for  God;  the  transporting  of  the 
old  man  into  the  new,  of  the  natural  into  the  spiri- 
tual. 

Paul  is  an  admirer  of  beauty  in  character.  He  is 
a  lover  of  a  well-balanced  manhood.  He  is  won  to 
the  man  who  is  complete  in  all  his  parts,  a  man  who 
is  symmetrical  in  all  his  faculties.  He  has  no  taste 
for  odd  or  protruding  idiosyncrasies.  He  always 
speaks  of  the  whole  man  growing  up  together.  Body, 
386 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  387 

soul,  and  spirit  are  held  in  their  proper  and  relative 
value.  All  the  powers  of  man  are  held  in  an  equi- 
librium of  development. 

Paul  looks  upon  man  from  three  separate  points  of 
view.  Man  has  threefold  relations.  He  has  obliga- 
tions to  himself,  to  society,  and  to  God.  As  an  in- 
dividual he  is  accountable  for  what  he  is  within  him- 
self. As  a  social  being,  he  does  not  live  to  himself 
alone.  As  a  spiritual  being,  he  is  responsible  to  God 
in  all  things.  Each  of  these  three  aspects  of  life 
needs  its  separate  characteristic  growth.  The  indi- 
vidual man  needs  intensity;  the  social  man  needs 
breadth,  and  the  spiritual  man  needs  altitude. 

Man  in  his  threefold  relation  is  embraced  in  Paul's 
prayer.  When  he  asks  that  the  Ephesians  "  might 
be  strengthened  with  power  through  the  Spirit  in  the 
inner  man, "  he  has  reference  to  the  intensity  of  the 
individual  character.  He  desires  every  man  to  be 
robust  in  nature,  to  be  an  independent  unity  of  power. 
"When  he  prays  that  they  might  "be  rooted  and 
grounded  in  love, "  he  desires  them  to  have  broad  sym- 
pathies. When  he  prays  that  they  might  "  be  filled 
unto  all  the  fulness  of  God, "  he  seeks  that  they  should 
have  spiritual  altitude,  elevating  aspirations  in  the 
things  pertaining  to  godliness. 

The  basis  of  intensity  which  shows  the  worth  of  a 
man  in  himself  is  in  the  intellect.  In  the  intellect 
are  the  dynamic  forces  of  the  personality  j  brain  is  the 


388  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

laboratory.  In  it  are  generated  the  activic  energies 
of  man. 

The  basis  of  breadth,  of  magnanimity,  of  the  radi- 
ant benefact>Ons  and  the  heroic  self-sacrifices,  the 
things  which  reveal  man  as  acting  and  reacting  in 
society,  is  in  the  heart.  But  the  altitude  of  charac- 
ter, that  through  which  divine  efficiency  is  displayed, 
is  founded  in  man's  spiritual  nature.  The  glowing 
Shekinah,  the  flame  of  Jehovah,  is  there.  It  is 
through  his  spiritual  nature  that  man  is  illumed  by 
disclosures  of  God. 

Intellectually,  man  is  in  touch  with  the  whole  uni- 
verse; morally,  he  is  related  to  every  being  capable  of 
good;  but  spiritually,  he  is  in  allegiance  with  God, 
partaking  of  the  divine  nature. 

As  an  individual,  man  is  a  sphere,  rounded,  orbicu- 
lar; as  a  social  being,  he  interspheres,  fills  all  space 
with  sweetness  and  light;  but  as  a  child  of  God,  he 
is  one  with  God,  Christ  is  formed  in  him. 

A  full  Christian  life  has  this  threefoldness  in  equi- 
poise of  development.  The  mind  grows  through  the 
avenues  of  knowledge.  Theology,  science,  and  the 
arts  are  its  architect.  His  heart  grows  by  the  minis- 
tries of  disinterestedness,  the  interchange  of  civilities, 
acts  of  love  and  labors  of  charity.  The  spirit  de- 
velops in  communion  with  God.  Capacity  for  God  is 
the  measure  of  our  growth  in  spiritual  life. 

In  a  more  complete  symmetrical   development  of 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  389 

the  Christian  life  will  be  found  the  hope  of  future 
civilization.  The  optimist  predicts  for  man  an  un- 
limited progress.  But  already  are  signs  of  deteriora- 
tion in  our  physique,  of  weakness  in  our  sensibility, 
and  of  failure  between  our  ideas  and  executive  energy. 
We  have  too  many  in  our  insane  asylums ;  too  many 
suicides  and  too  much  brutality  in  our  sports. 

Often  the  man  who  gives  birth  to  an  idea  fails  to 
make  it  dominant.  He  lacks  strategic  force  or  the 
necessary  brawn.  Tine  intellect,  as  a  rule,  is  deficient 
in  stalwartness,  in  magnetic  impetus  and  directive 
agency.  The  unifier  of  a  Germany,  or  of  an  Italy, 
or  of  the  United  States,  must  have  vim,  executive 
vigor.  The  reformer  must  have  nerve.  Brains,  to 
run  in  the  van  of  progress,  must  have  stout  legs  under 

him. 

To-day  the  ostensible  leader  of  public  opinion  is 
the  man  of  assertion,  of  grit  and  pluck,  the  pugnacious 
qualities. 

I^Ian,  as  Beecher  said,  is  like  a  many-bladed  knife. 
One  uses  one  blade,  and  another,  another  blade. 
Each  has  only  skill  enough  to  utilize  one.  All  the 
others  are  shut  do^vn  inside  of  the  handle.  They  are 
useless.  But  man  should  be  educated  to  open  and  use 
every  one  of  the  blades.  The  educated  man  is  to  have 
adaptation  and  fitness  to  call  up  any  one  of  his  faculties 
to  do  the  work  for  which  God  has  designed  it. 

But  we   are   one-sided  creatures.       The   man   of 


390  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

mighty  ideas  has,  often,  not  enough  muscular 
strength  to  demonstrate  the  effectiveness  of  his 
thoughts.  The  marks  of  a  great  mind  are  sensitive- 
ness, delicacy  of  organization,  humility,  and  modesty, 
the  very  things  which  are  crushed  in  the  struggle  for 
life.  Hence  the  real  forces  of  civilization  are  ob- 
scured. The  man  in  whose  brain  is  mapped  the  prog- 
ress of  empires  is  often  a  hidden  factor.  The  major- 
domo  of  state  movements  is  apt  to  have  just  enough 
mind  to  make  an  intellectual  bull-dog.  A  Grumkow 
or  a  Sechendorf  plays  havoc  with  your  kings.  The 
knowing  lawyer  is  not  at  the  head  of  the  bar.  The 
man  who  speaks  twenty  languages  in  not  the  success- 
ful teacher.  The  divine  composer  fails  to  bring  his 
music  into  recognition.  Your  Sam  Johnson  is  un- 
qualified to  protect  his  self-interest.  He  is  not  skilled 
in  literary  bargains.  The  walking  encyclopedia  never 
walks  in  front  of  the  procession.  The  great  minds 
are  mostly  used  as  a  reference  library.  It  is  a  very 
grotesque  spectacle,  yet  a  fact,  that  society  is  standing 
on  its  head,  brains  are  at  the  feet. 

This  monstrosity  is  due  to  the  lack  of  symmetrical 
development.  When  brains  were  at  college,  brawn 
was  forgotten.  When  it  declined  Latin,  it  declined 
the  gymnasium.  The  boy's  clear  ideas  lose  force  by 
his  sallow  complexion.  Great  thoughts  need  subsoil, 
burliness,  sturdi-ness,  velocity,  momentum,  and  ex- 
ecutive tact.     A  sick  girl  may  be  a  seraph ;  but  she 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  391 

must  have  an  Apollo  to  take  her  wisdom  to  market. 
I  do  not  mean  bulk,  but  sinewy  vigor. 

Great  minds  are  apt  to  have  more  bullet  than 
powder.  The  sharpshooter  has  a  small  bullet,  but 
powder  enough  to  send  it  straight  to  the  bull's-eye. 

Symmetry  is  an  element  or  condition  of  intensity. 
A  little  symmetrical  man  is  worth  more  to  the  world 
than  a  lopsided  giant. 

A  man  needs  large  egotism,  that  kind  of  selfness 
that  makes  selfishness  noble.  It  is  a  self-concern  in 
being  pure,  intelligent,  generous,  honest,  and  courage- 
ous. There  is  a  lofty  selfishness  and  there  is  an 
ignoble  humility.  There  is  an  egoism  that  makes 
men  great,  and  enrich  their  surroundings.  There  is 
a  humility  that  is  self-degrading  and  unhealthy.  It  is 
noble  in  men  to  wish  themselves  large.  It  is  noble 
to  have  the  ambition  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  who  re- 
solved to  be  the  best  man  that  ever  lived. 

Our  colleges  are  turning  out  a  vast  number  of  am- 
bitious men  and  women.  Creatures  full  of  dynamic 
forces,  brave  men  and  women  who  have  mighty 
hopes,  who  believe  in  vast  possibilities — they  seem 
determined  to  realize  the  most  genuine  meaning  of 
life. 

It  is  noble  to  have  the  ambition  to  be  large.  It  is 
noble  to  seek  to  be  free  from  littleness  and  awkward 
angularity.  It  is  noble  to  reach  out  and  draw  in;  to 
centralize  all  things  in  one's  personal  worth.     It  is 


892  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

right  to  have  omnivorous  appetites  of  this  kind,  rest- 
less cravings  of  special  tendencies  of,  active  in 
thought,  pushing  out,  the  ambition  to  be  a  man. 

One  of  the  chief  elements  in  symmetrical  personal 
intensity  is  self-mastery.  There  is  no  personal  free- 
dom except  through  a  regime  of  slavery.  One  must 
become  a  slave  to  truth,  fact,  and  law.  Man  gets  his 
liberty  through  this  kind  of  servitude.  The  whole 
universe  of  God  is  under  a  drill-sergeant.  Perfect 
grace  comes  from  obedience,  as  it  is  well  expressed  in 
the  life  of  Frederick  the  Great.  What  would  Prussia 
be  if  "Frederick  William  had  not  been  a  severe  drill- 
master?  Eussia,  if  Peter  the  Great  had  not  dis- 
ciplined the  people?  England,  if  William  the  Con- 
queror, the  Normans,  and  the  Plantagenets  had  not 
with  an  inflexible  hand  brought  it  amenable  to  laws? 
Discipline  converted  those  old  gluttonous  Jutes  and 
Angles  into  a  race  that  is  heroic  in  industry.  So  also 
is  our  liberty  in  ballot-boxes  and  suffrage  secured  by 
our  being  whipped,  subdued,  and  made  obedient  to  law. 

An  intense  life  must  have  a  purpose.  Why  do  you 
enter  the  school  or  college?  What  is  the  purpose  of 
a  lawyer,  teacher,  physician,  or  merchant?  Is  it  to 
secure  an  increase  of  things  or  an  increase  of  man- 
hood? Does  one  study  music  for  the  money  that  is 
in  it,  or  for  the  ecstasy  which  is  felt  through  it?  Is  it 
not  the  purpose  of  music  to  express  to  men  whatever 
is  true  and  beautiful  in  one's  hidden  life? 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  393 

But  a  man  can  not  be  intense  unless  he  is  able  to 
discover,  to  discriminate  and  recognize  his  adapta- 
tion for  a  given  work.  Every  life  is  a  plan  of  God, 
There  is  a  secret  combination  of  thought  and  action 
suitable  only  to  that  life — as  Christ  could  say,  "  For 
this  cause  was  I  born. "  So  it  is  for  every  one  to  find 
the  cause  of  his  birth.  The  worth  of  a  developed 
intellect,  of  a  disciplined  moral  reason  and  spiritual 
growth,  is  in  this  plan. 

After  the  end  of  life  is  discovered,  then  system  is 
important.  A  young  life  is  a  widespread,  inorganic, 
trackless  region,  or  rather  a  confused  mass  of  thrums. 
Man  must  be  systematized.  A  creature  of  disorder  is 
of  no  use.  Civilization  is  cosmic,  barbarism  is  chaotic. 
Now  the  first  thing  for  a  man  to  do  when  he  has  dis- 
covered his  plan,  is  to  get  all  his  faculties  together 
into  a  complex  team  and  pull  "  in  rational  human 
harness  "  toward  that  end.  He  will  find  the  threads 
and  knit  them  into  that  design. 

An  intense  life  is  apt  to  be  original.  It  has  an  in- 
finite outlook  before  it,  and  a  thrilling  inspiration 
within.  It  will  think  for  itself  even  if  it  must  be 
tried  for  heresy. 

To-day  we  need  this  kind  of  mind,  to  reafiirm  old 
truths  in  new  syntax. 

Dante  and  Calvin  had  the  truth.  Oh  yes,  there  is 
a  Calvinism  in  the  universe,  whether  we  are  able  to 
enter  it  anatomically  or  not.     But  to  break  our  spiri- 


394  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

tual  fast,  we  need  our  diet  of  dogmas  served  different- 
ly. The  old-fashioned  catering  by  means  of  meta- 
physic  systems  would  give  us  the  congestion  of  the 
heart,  or  spiritual  rheumatism. 

Out  of  old  truths,  we  must  extract  new  beauties, 
new  impulses,  new  spiritual  forms  and  affections. 
God' s  kaleidoscope  turns  every  age,  and  in  the  infinite 
life  of  the  Spirit  new  figures  appear. 

Here,  then,  you  have  your  individual  in  his  noblest 
form ;  he  is  "  strengthened  by  the  might  of  the  Spirit 
in  the  inner  man."  Now  what  he  wants  is  that  trans- 
cendent talent,  the  talent  which  takes  trouble. 

God  gives  to  every  man  a  certain  quantity  of  raw 
material.  Five  dollars  worth  of  pig  iron  is  worth 
a  hundred  thousand  dollars  converted  into  watch- 
springs — the  work  put  on  it  gives  it  value.  The 
masses  among  men  only  work  their  ore  into  pig  iron. 
That  is  why  they  are  so  cheap. 

When  President  Grant  appointed  General  Gresham 
to  the  judgeship,  Mr.  Gresham  asked  the  President 
who  it  was  that  had  recommended  him.  The  Presi- 
dent said :  "  The  man  who  led  that  charge  of  your  di- 
vision at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  in  July,  1861,  where  you 
were  wounded  and  crippled  for  life,  and  left  for  dead 
on  the  field;  the  man  I  knew  to  be  a  gallant  soldier; 
the  man  who  fought  all  through  the  war  without  a 
blemish  upon  his  reputation  for  patriotism,  bravery, 
fidelity,  and  gallantry ;  he  recommended  you  so  strong- 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  395 

ly  that  I  could  not  resist,  and  so  I  made  the  appoint- 
ment." That  man  was  Mv.  Gresham  himself.  The 
force  of  his  own  character  had  recommended  him. 

The  world  is  watching;  the  all-seeing  eye  of  Provi- 
dence is  watching,  to  see  how  much  honest  work  we 
are  willing  to  put  in  our  endeavors. 

But  an  intense  life  will  put  forth  its  executive 
efforts  to  get  at  the  truth  of  things.  When  Dr. 
Channing  was  a  boy,  he  wondered  how  the  preachers 
could  speak  of  the  wrath  of  God  and  then  go  home 
happy  and  laughing  from  church.  lie  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  such  preaching  was  cant.  The  preachers 
had  their  dogmas  with  the  truth  already  dead  inside 
of  them. 

Intensity  of  soul  will  put  forth  huge  determination 
to  get  the  truth  of  things.  "  An  honest  man  is  the 
noblest  work  of  God." 

When  Dr.  Wolf,  of  Germany,  was  under  trial  for 
heresy,  and  his  critics  seemed  buried  in  a  multiplex 
labyrinth  of  scholastic  distinctions,  the  King  of  Prus- 
sia excitedly  asked,  "  In  the  name  of  God,  what  is  the 
truth  of  it?  "  That  is  the  question.  Blessed  is  the 
man  who  has  divine  incapacity  to  live  among  lies,  or 
who  can  not  be  cunningly  adroit  in  sophistry.  Blessed 
is  the  man  who  can  with  simplicity,  ease,  and  vigor 
throw  his  soul  into  an  energy  of  emphasis  to  establish 
the  truth. 

Sophie  Charlotte,  at  the  king's  coronation,  took  a 


396  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

little  snuff  rather  than  be  listening  to  an  empty,  long- 
winded  prayer.  To  her  honest  heart  a  bit  of  rasped 
tobacco  in  her  nostrils  was  more  fragrant  than  the 
risings,  sittings,  and  meaningless  eloquence.  She 
had  a  transcendent,  heartfelt  aversion  to  cant,  sham, 
and  im veracity. 

If  your  Savonarolas  and  your  Knoxes  used  terrific 
language,  it  was  the  effect  of  the  fermentation  of 
mighty  truth  under  its  ribs.  If  Christ  uttered  words 
which  centuries  of  skepticism  have  not  plucked  up  by 
the  roots,  it  was  because  they  had  in  them  the  divine 
truth.  Truth  heaved  up  His  thoughts,  truth  inspired 
His  sympathy,  and  truth  distilled  His  tears. 

Much  of  our  success  will  depend  on  how  much  of 
the  realm  of  disorder  we  can  subdue,  how  many  facts 
we  can  make  to  stand  on  their  feet,  and  how  many 
worn-out  creeds,  obsolete  language  and  platitudes,  we 
can  bury.     Deception  must  be  exterminated. 

But  man  is  not  to  live  for  himself  alone.  He  is  to 
intersphere.  If  he  neglects  his  social  nature  he  has 
no  outlet  among  men.  His  sympathies  lose  their  cun- 
ning. He  will  fail  to  manipulate  human  forces.  He 
has  no  go-between,  no  satellites  to  reflect  him.  He 
does  not  touch  men  contagiously.  He  inoculates 
nothing  with  the  virus  of  his  own  personality. 

There  is  a  picture  by  Church  called  "  Knowledge  is 
Power."  A  young  lady  collegiate  is  sitting  with  book 
in  hand  and  an  Oxford  cap  on  her  head.     Before  her. 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  397 

the  animal  nature  is  represented  by  tigers,  the  fero- 
cious, wild  passions  of  man.  These  she  has  tamed, 
made  docile  and  made  subject  to  government.  Knowl- 
edge is  power ;  but  to  chain  moral  wild  beasts,  a  head 
full  of  knowledge  is  not  enough.  The  heart  must  be 
full  of  virtue,  and  conscious  of  its  allegiance  to  God. 
The  heart  must  have  that  quality  of  life  which  comes 
forth  out  of  being  *'  rooted  and  grounded  in  love." 

In  Delhi  once  stood  a  temple  whose  ceiling  was 
set  with  diamonds  and  beneath  which  stood  the 
throne  of  the  divine  peacock.  The  jewels  in  this  tem- 
ple were  worth  ^$30,000,000.  On  the  marble  pedes- 
tal of  the  throne,  in  Arabic,  were  these  words,  "  If 
ever  there  were  Paradise  on  earth,  it  is  here,  it  is 
here,  it  is  here."  But  the  facts  are  that  this  temple 
was  built  by  poor  slaves,  many  of  whom  died  of  starva- 
tion and  cruelty  while  in  the  act  of  building  it.  This 
temple  represents  intensity  without  breadth.  Treas- 
ures and  education  have  been  concentrated  to  produce 
an  awful  kind  of  egotism.  Men  and  women  have 
been  known  to  be  sublimely  beautiful  within  them- 
selves, but  in  relation  to  others  ugly,  hollow,  and 
deformed,  their  narrowness  grating  rudely  on  the  finer 
sensibilities. 

If  we  are  to  liberate  slaves,  to  close  moral  and 
physical  sweatshops,  to  lessen  the  weariness  of  toil, 
to  unfetter  men  from  the  petrifactions  of  dead  dog- 
mas and  the  dark  thoughts  of  superstition,  we  must 


398  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

be  inwrought  with  that  grace  which  bears  one  anoth- 
er's burdens.  To  this  sympathy,  as  history  witnesses, 
will  atheism  and  darkness  most  likely  surrender. 

What  the  world  to-day  needs  is  sympathy  reaching 
from  top  to  bottom  of  society — that  disinterested  love 
that  was  in  Jesus  Christ. 

If  our  sons  are  to  grow  up  trees  of  righteousness ; 
our  daughters  to  be  as  corner-stones  polished  after  a 
similitude  of  a  palace ;  if  they  are  to  be  the  roots  of 
a  great  race ;  if  the  breath  of  God  is  to  breathe  sweet- 
ness into  their  thoughts ;  if  they  expect  to  gain  beauty 
and  strength,  clear  as  the  sun,  fair  as  the  moon,  and 
terrible  as  an  army  with  banners, — they  must  include 
in  their  purpose  of  life  every  human  being. 

If  you  would  be  of  any  power,  you  must  seek  it 
through  reason  and  friendship,  sweetness  and  light. 

Speaking  ex  cathecha  is  continually  becoming  less 
forcible.  Pope  Leo  XIII.  can  not  be  the  autocrat  that 
Leo  X.  was.  Leo  X.  had  but  to  utter  the  word.  Leo 
XIII.  must  use  tenderness  and  reason.  Leo  XIII. 
must  be  considerate  and  thoughtful.  To-day,  when 
the  Pope  wishes  to  control  Germany,  Ireland,  or 
America,  he  reasons  through  the  ideas  of  J.  S.  Mill, 
Spencer,  and  Henry  George.  He  talks  as  a  friend 
with  a  friend.  Leo  XIII.  can  not  command  and  com- 
pel a  Michelangelo  as  did  the  Pope  of  former  days. 

The  old  despotism  of  dogma  is  dead.  Keligious 
truths  are  no  longer  slave-masters,  but  are  winsome 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  399 

with  reason,  are  to  the  heart  as  music  is  to  a  fine 
thought.  If  the  rose-fragrauee  of  truth  can  not  win 
you ;  if  the  sweet  voice  of  reason  can  not  draw  you 
after  it;  if  the  lovely  form  of  the  Christ  can  not  lift 
you  into  the  higher  spiritual  kingdom,  there  is  no 
whipping-post  or  thumb-screws  to  compel  you. 

It  takes  a  larger  number  of  ideas  to  make  a  man 
to-day  than  ever  before.  Once  the  soul  was  satisfied 
with  one  or  two  objects  of  utility  or  beauty.  A 
feather  and  a  sword  were  enough  for  the  old  knight. 
For  a  thousand  years  men  lived  like  polyps,  each 
child  being  the  exact  reproduction  of  the  parent. 
The  great  men  spent  a  hundred  years  on  one  dogma 
or  war-drill.  To-day  the  soul  is  not  satisfied  without 
the  secrets  of  the  universe  at  its  will. 

This  amassing  of  the  head  with  truth  makes  the 
heart  capable  of  greater  feelings  than  ever  before. 
Thought  is  the  father  of  emotions.  Breadth  and 
depth  of  heart  follow  intensity  of  mind.  A  strong 
sentiment  is  awakened  by  the  light  of  truth  shining 
in  the  eyes  of  thought.  Only  in  an  insane  asylum 
is  there  much  sentiment  without  facts  and  truth  be- 
hind it. 

It  is  said  that  Englishmen  often  fail  to  understand 
our  American  jokes  because  they  do  not  know  the 
ideas  which  gave  them  rise. 

Lovers  of  music  regard  their  art  as  of  itself  a 
creator  of  emotion.      It    is    a   mistake.      The   best 


400  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

music  is  only  an  expression  of  feeling,  the  result  of 
thought. 

If  you  do  not  have  the  thoughts  underlying  our 
"National  Hymn,"  or  "Marching  through  Georgia," 
or  the  "  Marseillaise, "  you  will  have  but  little  emotion 
in  singing  them.  The  Wedding  March  has  often 
brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  old  people.  Their  feel- 
ings are  full  of  memories.  It  does  not  so  touch  the 
hearts  of  the  unmarried. 

If  I  should  cry  out,  "  Ein'  feste  Burg  ist  unser  Gott," 
or  "  Here  I  stand,  I  can  not  do  otherwise,  so  help  me 
God,"  or  "For  Christ's  crown  and  kingdom,"  or 
"  Liberty  and  union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  insep- 
arable," the  effect  would  be  nothing  to  the  man  who 
did  not  know  the  history  of  Luther,  Scotland,  and 
the  struggles  to  keep  the  integrity  of  the  union.  The 
greater  the  conceptions  of  the  intellect,  the  more  do 
they  move  the  heart.  Wherein  is  the  strength  of 
Christianity  but  in  its  great  thoughts,  its  groupings 
of  truth — in  truth  which  could  not  be  brought  here 
except  by  a  God-man?  If  the  emotions,  the  vigils, 
the  tears,  and  pleadings  of  Christ  have  intensity,  it 
is  because  of  His  intellectual  grasp  of  the  reality  and 
His  far-reaching  penetration  into  the  truth  of  things. 
His  all-knowing  mind  made  it  possible  for  Him  to 
have  all  sympathy.  His  omniscience  brought  the 
sorrows  of  the  whole  race  into  His  tears.  If  Kossuth 
aroused  our  sympathy  for  Hungary,  if  John  Bright 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  401 

stirred  waves  of  thrilling  emotions  for  the  working- 
man,  and  if  Henry  Berg  cried  for  mercy  within  our 
hearts  for  the  dumb  animals,  it  was  because  of  the 
intensity  with  which  they  thought  on  the  subjects. 

Yes,  heart-power  is  the  regenerator  of  the  world, 
truth  surcharged  with  sympathy — truth  fertilized  with 
fellow  feeling. 

The  Lacedemonians,  who  were  a  poor  people,  of- 
fered lean  sacrifices  to  their  gods,  while  the  Athe- 
nians, who  were  wise  and  wealthy,  offered  fat  and 
costly  sacrifices.  Yet  in  war  the  former  were  always 
masters.  When  the  Athenians  asked  the  oracle  the 
reason  of  their  defeat,  the  oracle  replied  that  the 
Lacedemonians  were  a  people  who  gave  their  hearts 
to  their  gods,  while  the  Athenians  only  gifts. 

Heart-power  is  growing.  The  guns  and  swords  of 
the  time  of  Columbus  and  Napoleon  are  becoming  ob- 
solete as  a  power  in  civilization.  The  use  of  war  im- 
plements is  an  affliction.  So  also  is  the  old  cast  of 
scholasticism;  it  is  of  less  account  every  day.  The 
ethics  which  rise  out  of  sympathy  with  men  are  sweep- 
ing around  the  millions.  The  great  men  of  to-day  are 
the  Ben  Adhems  who  write  themselves  as  those  who 
love  their  fellow  men. 

It  was  once  eloquent  to  remark  that  the  British 

drum-beats  could  be  heard  around  the  world.    To-day, 

drum-beats  are  humdrum.     The  drum-beats  of  this 

present  war  are  notes  calling  the  attention  of  a  savage 

26 


402  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

world  to  the  great  moral  ideas  underlying  this  out- 
ward strife.  They  are  the  thunder  come  to  clear  the 
somber  clouds  of  medievalism  from  the  island  gardens 
of  the  oceans.  The  Pentecostal  sounds  from  heaven 
are  vibrating,  creating  the  delicious  music  of  the  heart. 
Under  its  intonations  all  of  life  will  be  filled  with 
melody. 

Your  schools  and  colleges  are  to  make  war  use- 
less. Once,  when  a  Roman  general  caught  a  few 
barbarian  spies,  instead  of  crucifying  them  he  or- 
dered them  to  be  taken  through  the  army  and  streets 
of  Rome.  Then  he  sent  them  back  to  their  savage 
captain.  They  told  their  master  that  war  was  use- 
less.    They  had  seen  a  nation  of  kings. 

That  kingly  power  to-day  is  Christian  intelligence. 
Mind  inoculated  with  truth  and  heart  surcharged 
with  the  righteousness  of  Christ — these  are  the  true 
sovereignty.  A  Hebrew  or  a  Greek  could  afford  to 
love  only  a  tribe.  The  divines  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury might  exclude  infant  Turks  from  heaven.  Mil- 
ton might  see  in  Christianity  the  gracious  will  of  God 
to  man,  and  yet  be  incapable  of  seeing  any  mercy  for 
Catholics.  The  early  colonists  believed  in  liberty  for 
all  except  the  negro.  When  Roger  Williams  cham- 
pioned all  mankind,  he  had  to  run  for  shelter  among 
the  Indians.  The  theologians  of  five  years  ago  might 
find  it  impossible  for  Socrates  to  be  saved.  But  there 
is  going  on  a  mellowing  of  the  spirit  of  man.     This 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  403 

year,  many  of  the  logomacliists  died  under  the  frown 
of  the  General  Assembly. 

Christ  is  leaveuiug  the  heart  of  humanity.  Soon 
it  will  be  impossible  to  persecute  a  Jew  or  a  Chinaman ; 
impossible  for  a  child  to  be  a  serf  in  a  mine,  or  for  a 
woman  to  be  tied  to  a  cart  with  her  dog.  All  crea- 
tion is  waitiug  for  its  redemption. 

God  wants  mankind  to  be  happy.  He  does  not  like 
sackcloth  and  ashes  on  men.  God  delights  in  sweet 
sounds  and  great  truths. 

Is  it  not  an  awful  delusion  that  a  man  should  ex- 
press his  love  for  God  and  Christ  by  becoming  hide- 
ously sad  or  carry  a  sorrowful  countenance? 

The  most  repulsive  picture  at  the  World's  Fair  was 
that  of  the  procession  of  flagellants.  It  is  not  easy  to 
conceive  how  men  ever  imagined  that  bloody  infliction 
of  pain,  that  to  be  sorrowful,  starved,  cadaverous, 
and  self-whipped  creatures,  were  pleasing  to  God. 
How  did  men  get  the  idea  that  if  they  loved  God  they 
must  be  sad  and  repulsive?  The  Bible  says,  "  Blessed 
are  they  who  know  the  joyful  sound,  for  they,  O 
Lord,  shall  see  the  light  of  thy  countenance." 

On  God's  earth  everything  that  is  sweet  and  beau- 
tiful blossoms  in  the  sunshine  of  kindness.  The  owl, 
the  lizards,  and  the  uglier  kind  of  spiders — all  hideous 
things  are  in  the  darkness  and  hidden  places. 

Let  the  Christian  scatter  sunshine.  Cheer  all 
human  societies;  cheer  all  heroic  labor  and  all  the 


404  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

children  of  struggle.  Cheer  every  time  a  Siberian 
shackle  is  broken  or  a  ship-load  of  corn  crosses  the 
Atlantic  to  the  sons  of  want.  Cheer  whenever  there 
is  a  contraction  of  hell,  and  heaven  is  enlarged.  This 
old  bloodthirsty  and  sinning  world  needs  to  be  taken 
lovingly  into  our  arm,  and  have  the  soul  of  our  sym- 
pathy diffusively  pressed  through  it.  God  so  loved 
the  world. 

But  to  do  this  great  work  we  must  "  be  filled  unto 
all  the  fulness  of  God."  Every  faculty  must  be  aglow 
from  the  furnace  of  inspiration,  kindled  by  the  love  of 
Christ.  Man  needs  intensity,  he  needs  breadth ;  but 
he  must  have  altitude,  a  heavenward  posture  of  soul. 
You  can  not  lift  this  earth  to  heaven  by  standing  on 
it.  You  must  stand  above  it,  on  the  battlements  of 
Jehovah's  truths. 

Christ  has  given  us  a  new  definition  of  man.  Man 
without  God  is  less  than  God  designed  him  to  be.  A 
Christian  is  to  be  man  plus  Christ  formed  in  him. 
Godlessness  is  a  hindrance  even  in  this  life.  "My 
atheism,"  said  Colonel  Ingersoll,  "cost  me  the  gov- 
ernorship of  Illinois."  In  the  old  legend,  the  sect 
which  opposed  Moses  and  denied  God  was  turned  into 
apes,  sent  into  the  Dead  Sea,  and  permitted  to  come 
out  as  men  but  one  day  in  the  year.  Atheism  has  no 
inspirational  forces.  It  has  no  stirrings  of  the  imag- 
ination, no  beauty,  no  romance,  or  art,  or  an  infinite 
outlook.     It  has  no  circumambient  spirit.     Its  last 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  405 

analysis  is  matter.  The  idea  of  God  briugs  with 
it  infinitudes,  evokes  supernatural  conjurations  and 
prophecies,  immeasurable  possibilities  of  moral  attri- 
butes, which  gradually  yield  up  their  secrets.  The 
mind  is  fascinatingly  hitched  to  the  stars. 

In  the  Greek  play,  the  girl  Antigone  perceived  the 
world  of  eternal  right.  When  the  king  decreed  against 
her  performing  the  funeral  rites  of  her  brother,  she 
told  him  that  there  was  a  morality  which  rose  above 
the  king.  She  knew  something  of  that  fulness  of  life 
found  in  God.  The  idea  of  God  is  the  defense  of  the 
weak  against  the  mighty.  Our  sense  of  right  is  but 
the  echo  of  the  music  of  the  sky. 

Here  is  the  child  of  a  poor  man.  Now  should  your 
Czar,  with  all  his  great  power  and  dominion,  do  an 
act  of  injustice  to  this  beggar's  child,  there  would 
arise  a  power  in  the  presence  of  which  that  monarch 
would  quail.  It  is  the  sense  of  the  presence  of  God. 
The  thought  of  God  flings  open  the  pearly  gates ;  and 
we  behold  that,  in  the  estimate  of  God,  manhood  is 
greater  than  monarchy.  How  noble  is  this  manhood 
when  intensified  by  the  strength  of  the  Spirit,  when 
rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  and  when  lifted  up 
to  the  altitude  of  being  filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of 
God. 

In  the  presence  of  God  the  obscure  celestial  flower 
of  the  soul  puts  forth  its  tendrils.  How  the  light  of 
the  glory  of  God  puts  to  flight  all  shadows ! — the  angel- 


406  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

soul  looks  out  upon  tliat  transfiguration  in  Christ,  and 
all  imagination  is  surpassed  in  reality.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  God  the  heart  is  made  warm  as  by  celestial 
fire.  It  overflows  with  serenity,  ecstasy,  and  sweet 
gayety.  The  idea  of  God  is  to  the  soul  a  sunbeam  in 
the  darkness ;  in  all  sorrow  it  is  an  ineffable  song. 

My  friends,  it  is  your  privilege  to  have  this  divine 
presence  with  you.  If  you  are  among  the  lovers  of 
kindness  and  justice,  Christ  is  with  you.  If  you  are 
determined  to  take  up  the  duties  which  lessen  the  as- 
perities of  your  fellow  men,  Christ  is  with  you.  If 
you  would  make  society  brave,  pure,  and  true,  Christ 
is  with  you.  If  you  catch  any  new  light  and  throw 
it  upon  the  mysteries  of  life,  and  thereby  untie  the 
hard  knots  which  bind  this  earth  to  sin  and  lust, 
Christ  is  with  you.  He  is  with  all  men  that  try  to 
overcome  evil  with  good. 

Now  look  at  the  soul  coming  forth  out  of  the  seed 
of  divine  life.  As  a  rosebud  of  God  it  seems.  Every 
leaf  within  its  fold  is  intended  to  shed  the  fragrance 
of  virtue,  of  truth,  and  of  noble  achievements.  It  is 
planted  at  the  shrine  of  divine  knowledge,  at  the  altar 
of  the  pure  Word  of  God,  and  is  under  the  care  and 
tuition  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  young  Christian  has 
before  him  the  outlines  of  a  symmetrical  character. 
Will  he  copy  them  and  complete  them  into  life?  His 
life  is  filled  with  prophecies,  his  roots  are  in  soil 
watered  by  the  river  of  life,  and  the  world  is  waiting 


SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT.  407 

to  gather  the  fruit.  "Will  he  grow  according  to  the 
mind  of  God? 

The  world  was  once  narrow.  It  will  never  be  nar- 
row again.  New  pleasures,  new  duties,  and  new 
thoughts  are  pouring  in  every  day.  The  Christian 
life  is  as  a  great  river  running  over  its  banks.  Our 
work  is  not  to  keep  it  in  the  old  channels,  but  to 
purify  it.  As  thoughts  will  roll  on  with  greater  vehe- 
mence, the  work  to  control  and  keep  pure  the  moral, 
the  intellectual  world,  is  ever  increasing. 

My  friends,  here  we  stand.  The  strength  of  wis- 
dom is  in  the  intellect ;  the  majestic  sway  of  the  moral 
sympathies  are  spread  abroad  through  the  heart;  but 
the  beauty  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  upon  us  through 
the  altitude  of  our  spiritual  nature.  The  symmetrical 
development  of  man  in  this  threefold  character  is 
what  we  seek. 

Upon  a  monument  dedicated  to  General  Gordon, 
who  died  in  Sudan,  it  is  written :  "  He  gave  his  in- 
tellect to  the  ignorant,  his  substance  to  the  poor,  his 
sympathies  to  the  oppressed,  his  energies  to  right  the 
wrong,  his  life  to  his  country,  and  his  heart  to  his 
God. "     That  is  the  kind  of  men  we  ought  to  be. 

You  have  heard  of  the  tomb  Taj-]\Iahal.  It  was  of 
snow-white  marble.  For  a  score  of  years  twenty  thou- 
sand men  and  women  worked  upon  it.  It  is  a  gem  of 
art.  But.  all  this  expenditure  was  to  commemorate 
the  beauty  and  virtue  of  one  woman.     It  was  her 


408  SYMMETRICAL  DEVELOPMENT. 

pure  life,  her  acts  of  love  and  labors  of  charity,  that 
called  forth  this  monument.  In  this  work  is  the 
highest  achievement  of  woman. 

Oh,  you  men  and  women  with  the  infinite  life  of 
Jesus  Christ  within  you,  what  is  that  marble  com- 
pared with  your  inheritance?  To  you  as  Christians 
the  portals  of  God  are  opened.  The  doors  of  God's 
republics  do  not  turn  on  pedigree  or  on  aristocratic 
hinges,  nor  are  God' s  advantages  pivoted  on  heredi- 
tary prerogatives.  They  open  to  the  masterful  spirit 
of  Christ  in  you.  Go  forth,  then,  with  all  the  wealth 
of  your  soul.  Be  active  and  enthusiastic  champions 
of  mankind.  It  is  for  you  to  be  an  heir  with  Christ, 
a  child  of  God,  and  a  scholar  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Be 
intense  enough  to  have  unflinching  convictions  of  the 
truth.  Be  broad  enough  to  embrace  in  your  sympa- 
thies all  mankind.  Have  altitude  enough  that  you 
may  be  as  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting  of  the 
Lord,  whose  boughs  stretch  skyward  and  whose  crowns 
are  bedewed  with  the  clouds  of  His  daily  grace. 


SELF-RENUNCIATION  THE  LAW  OF 
SELF-PRESERVATION. 

By  Rev.  Joseph  Roberts,  D.D.,  New  York. 

"And  Jesus  answered  them,  saying,  The  hour  is  come,  that 
the  Son  of  Man  should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  Except  acorn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone  :  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit. 
He  that  loveth  his  life  [or  soul]  loseth  it ;  and  he  that  hateth 
his  life  [soul]  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.  " — 
John.  xii.  23-25. 

It  was  the  first  day  of  the  last  week  in  the  earthly- 
life  of  Jesus ;  and  He  weut  into  the  temple,  probably 
passing  at  once  into  the  women's  court,  "where  the 
treasury  boxes  were.  In  this  court  *'came  certain 
Greeks,"  Hellenes,  to  Philip,  saying,  "Sir,  we  would 
see  Jesus."  These  Hellenes  were  not  Jews  who  lived 
in  Greece  or  in  Greek  colonies,  but  were  Gentiles,  real 
Greeks,  who  are  described  by  the  phrase  "among 
those  who  were  accustomed  to  come  up  to  worship  at 
the  feast."  If  they  had  been  Greek  Jews,  another 
word  would  have  been  used.  What  they  desired  was 
to  have  a  private  conversation  on  religious  subjects. 
How  do  we  know  whether,  having  witnessed  the  op- 
409 


410       THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

position  lie  encountered  from  the  rulers  of  his  own 
nation,  they  did  not  desire  to  invite  him  to  turn 
to  the  Gentiles,  who  would  better  appreciate  Him? 
Eusebius  has  preserved  the  memory  of  an  embassy 
sent  to  Jesus  by  Abgarus,  king  of  Edessa,  in  Syria, 
to  invite  Him  to  take  up  His  abode  with  him  and  to 
promise  Him  such  a  royal  welcome  as  should  compen- 
sate Him  for  the  obstinacy  with  which  the  Jews  re- 
jected Him.  This  fact  is  not  without  resemblance 
to  the  one  in  the  text,  in  which  we  behold  one  of  the 
first  demonstrations  of  the  heathen  world  in  favor 
of  the  Grospel,  and  the  first  indication  of  that  attrac- 
tion which  its  moral  beauty  was  soon  to  exercise  over 
the  whole  human  race.  There  were  two  manifesta- 
tions of  our  Lord  to  the  Gentiles — one  at  the  begin- 
ning, and  this  one  at  the  close  of  His  life.  The  Magi, 
the  wise  men  of  the  East,  came  to  the  cradle  of  Jesus ; 
the  Greeks,  the  wise  men  of  the  West,  came  to  His 
cross.  "  The  old  world  of  the  East,  with  its  exhausted 
history,  came  to  the  cradle  of  the  Child  of  Promise  to 
receive  a  fresh  impulse,  to  share  in  the  new  creation 
of  God  and  rejuvenescence  of  the  world.  The  new 
world  of  the  West,  with  its  mobile  life,  its  very  ex- 
panding history,  its  glowing  hopes  and  aspirations, 
came  to  the  cross  of  the  Eedeemer  that  it  might  receive 
a  deeper  earnestness  and  a  higher  consecration."  In 
these  instances  we  see  the  East  and  the  West — sci- 
ence and  thought — seeking  Christ.     The  Magi,  on  the 


THE  LAW  OF  SELFPRESERVATIOS.       411 

one  hand,  are  the  representatives  of  the  world's  godly 
scientists,  the  forerunners  of  the  Galileos,  the  Kep- 
lers,  the  Xewtons,  and  Darwins,  who  never  stop  at 
laws,  but  from  nature  rise  to  nature's  God.  The 
Greeks,  on  the  other  hand,  are  representatives  of  the 
world's  godly  philosophers.  They  are  the  forerunners 
of  the  Augustines,  the  Anselms,  and  the  Pascals. 
This  circumstance  made  a  profound  impression  on 
Jesus.  It  is,  as  it  were,  the  first  bursting  forth  of  a 
new  world.  Hence  His  thoughts  turned  to  Calvary-. 
So  this  text  is  the  answer  of  Christ  to  the  Greeks, 
tho  it  seems  at  the  first  glance  to  be  no  answer  at 
all;  touches  the  very  heart  of  all  such  questions  and 
answers;  and  is,  besides  that,  a  beautiful  instance  of 
the  rich,  transcendental  nature  of  the  Son  of  God. 
Christ  saw  in  them  the  first  fniits  of  the  full  harvest 
of  the  heathen  lands,  the  advance  guard  of  the  multi- 
tude which  no  man  can  number.  "  The  hour  is  come, " 
said  He,  "and  the  Son  of  ^lan  should  be  glorified." 
"  He  that  loveth  his  life  loseth  it ;  aud  he  that  hateth 
his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal." 
How  can  it  be  afi^med  that  gain  is  loss  and  loss  is 
gain?  To  formal  logic  this  statement  is  absurd.  "We 
might  as  well  say  that  something  is  nothing,  or  that 
down  is  up,  or  that  the  South  is  the  Xorth.  This 
statement  violates  the  principle  of  contradiction ;  that 
which  Sir  "William  Hamilton  declares  to  be  the  high- 
est of  all  logical  laws — the  supreme  law  of  thought. 


412       THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

Yet  the  statement  is  not  a  mere  rhetorical  paradox, 
but  an  exact  statement  of  the  deepest  law  of  life,  the 
fundamental  law  of  self-sacrifice  and  glorification  of 
the  Son  of  Man. 

"  Loveth  his  life,"  "  hateth  his  life,"  "  eternal  life." 
Do  you  like  paradoxes?  Nature  is  full  of  them. 
Some  men  are  accustomed  to  apply  paradox  as  if  it 
were  a  term  of  reproach  and  implied  absurdity.  But 
all  that  the  term  properly  implies  is  that  the  burden 
of  proof  lies  with  him  who  maintains  the  paradox, 
since  men  are  not  expected  to  abandon  the  prevailing 
belief  until  some  reason  is  shown.  As  I  said,  nature 
is  full  of  paradoxes.  The  water  which  drowns  us  as 
a  fluent  stream  can  be  walked  upon  as  ice.  The  bul- 
let which,  when  fired  from  a  musket,  carries  death 
will  be  harmless  if  ground  to  dust  before  being  fired. 
The  crystallized  part  of  the  oil  of  roses,  so  graceful  in 
its  fragrance — a  solid  at  ordinary  temperatures,  tho 
readily  volatile — is  a  compound  substance,  containing 
exactly  the  same  elements  and  exactly  the  same  pro- 
portions as  the  gas  with  which  we  light  the  streets. 
The  tea  which  we  daily  drink  with  benefit  and  pleas- 
ure produces  palpitation,  nervous  tremblings,  and 
even  paralysis  if  taken  in  excess;  yet  the  peculiar 
organic  agent  called  "thein,"  to  which  tea  owes  its 
quality,  may  be  taken  by  itself  (as  thein,  not  as  tea) 
without  any  appreciable  effect.  Thus  we  see  that 
nature  is  full  of  paradoxes ;  and  not  nature  only,  but 


THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION.       413 

also  the  teaching  of  the  Teacher  from  heaven.  Ac- 
cording to  His  teaching,  the  only  true  gain  is  through 
loss ;  the  only  true  enrichment  is  through  giving ;  the 
only  true  victory  is  through  suffering  and  humiliation ; 
and  the  only  true  life  is  through  death.  lie  that  lov- 
eth  his  life  loseth  it,  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in 
this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.  The  life  of 
Jesus  Christ  Himself  was  subjected  to  this  law. 

More  than  once  did  the  Lord  express  in  the  words 
which  He  here  emphatically  repeats  the  course  of  life 
which  those  must  lead  who  would  follow  Him.  On 
several  great  occasions  He  impressed  this  law  of  spirit 
of  life  upon  the  minds  of  His  disciples.  After  call- 
ing the  twelve  iii  His  commission  to  them,  to  place 
His  claim  on  their  affections  as  greater  than  that  of 
the  father,  mother,  friend,  and  calling  for  self-denial, 
self-sacrifice.  He  said :  "  He  that  findeth  his  life  shall 
lose  it ;  he  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find 
it."     (Comp.  Matt.  x.  39;  xvi.  25;  Luke  x.  24.) 

This  is  the  watchword  of  Christ,  and  it  should  be 
our  watchword  also.  In  the  text  He  is  applying  to 
His  own  case  this  universal  law  of  the  divine  life,  of 
which  lie  was  on  the  point  of  giving  the  crowning, 
climacteric  expression  by  His  suffering  and  death. 
Brethren,  do  you  grasp  this  great  thought?  Do  you 
understand  this  great  law  of  the  moral  and  the  spir- 
itual world?  What  is  it?  It  is  the  fundamental  law 
of  self-sacrifice.    What  does  it  mean?    It  means  this : 


414      THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

that  self-renunciation  is  the  law  of  self-preservation ; 
and,  conversely,  that  the  law  of  self-preservation  is 
the  law  of  self-destruction. 

Let  us  try  to  realize  this  great  law  of  the  moral  and 
the  spiritual  world  in  its  application  to  Christ's  death 
and  to  our  own  life. 

I.  First,  then,  let  us  look  at  the  vicarious  death  of 
Christ  in  the  light  of  this  law.  "Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  except  a  grain  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth 
and  die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone ;  but  if  it  die,  it  bear- 
eth  much  fruit." 

This  is  true  not  only  of  wheat,  but  of  every  other 
seed  J  every  seed  must  die  in  order  to  bear  fruit. 
There  is  no  harvest  without  death.  All  nature,  con- 
ceived of  as  animated  by  the  breath  of  God,  contains 
in  her  phenomena  the  most  pregnant  symbols  of  all 
the  truth  in  the  spiritual  world.  And  in  these  words, 
which  were  first  spoken  to  the  Greeks,  Christ  does  not 
appeal  to  the  testimony  of  the  prophets,  but  to  the 
secretly  prophesying  similitude  of  nature.  Therefore 
nature  herself,  as  well  as  the  divine  prophecy  in 
Israel,  speaks  of  the  redeeming  death  of  Christ. 

Since  the  fall  of  mankind  was  foreseen  and  the 
plan  of  their  redemption  laid  in  the  deep  counsels  of 
eternity,  the  divine  Creator  implanted  types  in  nature 
of  this  great  principle — life  through  death,  growth 
through  death,  gain  through  loss.  From  this  divine 
ordinance  of  fruit  springing  from  the  seed,  of  the  new 


THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION.       415 

growth  from  the  death  of  the  old,  we  have  the  most 
primitive  prophecy  of  the  mystery  of  the  atonement 
which  pure  creation  contains.  Indeed,  we  may  look 
upon  the  whole  world  as  one  great  parable  to  which 
the  Gospel  supplies  the  clew.  How  potent  and  beau- 
tiful is  this  analogy  to  illustrate  that  change  from 
weakness  to  power,  from  springing  forth  afresh  of 
life  out  of  death !  From  death  in  its  general  sense 
and  from  death  in  its  special  sense — namely,  as  the 
wages  of  sin — new  life  has  sprung  forth.  Such  a 
wonderful  idea  is  this!  Death  is  the  source  of  the 
natural  and  the  spiritual  harvest.  The  Savior  of 
the  world  could  not  be  a  source  of  eternal  life  without 
dying,  but  through  His  death  He  became  a  source  of 
life,  increase,  fruitfulness,  and  glorification. 

1.  The  death  of  Christ  is  the  reviving,  the  only 
reviving,  power  in  the  moral  world  to  all  united  to 
Him  by  faith.  The  grain  of  wheat  must  fall  to  the 
ground  and  die  in  order  to  become  a  reviving  energy. 
The  seed  *  of  wheat  must  undergo  death-like  change 
and  death-like  transformation  before  it  springs  up  and 

*The  original  word  is  not  sperma,  a  seed,  but  kokkos,  a 
berry,  a  fruit.  It  shows  the  extreme,  even  scientific,  accuracy 
of  our  Savior's  language ;  for  corn  of  wheat,  and  other 
cereal  grains,  consist  of  seeds  incorporated  with  seed-vessels, 
— are  in  reality  fruits,  tlio  they  appear  like  seeds.  It  is  not 
the  bare  seed  that  falls  into  the  ground,  and,  by  dying,  yields 
much  fruits,  but  the  corn  of  wheat— the  whole  fruit  with  its 
husk-like  covering.     It  contains  a  germ  of  the  harvest. 


416      THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

bears  fruit.  So  the  Eternal  Son  voluntarily  sinks 
down  into  tlie  earth  of  death  and  curse,  into  the  do- 
main and  destiny  of  sinful  men,  not  to  remain  there, 
but  to  rise  up  out  of,  as  the  glorified  Glorifier,  the 
risen  Raiser  of  men.  The  corn  of  wheat  surrenders 
itself  to  the  forces  of  nature,  which  take  possession  of 
it  and  seem  to  put  it  altogether  aside.  But  this  ap- 
parent death  is  in  reality  more  abundant  life.  Its 
burial-place  becomes  the  scene  of  a  wonderful  resur- 
rection. The  spark  of  vitality  has  been  kindled  by 
the  very  elements  that  seemed  to  work  its  destruction ; 
but  the  seed  becomes  a  bright,  green,  beautiful  plant, 
which  lays  all  nature  under  contribution  for  its  suste- 
nance— the  earth  and  the  sky — and  at  length  becomes 
a  luxuriant  stalk  of  corn  laden  with  its  fruitful  ear. 
Nature  does  not  give  us  her  blessings  without  a  stern 
struggle  with  hostile  elements.  How  true  is  all  this 
of  the  stormy  end  of  our  Savior's  life,  when  He  said, 
Now  is  My  soul  troubled,  and  what  shall  I  say? — 
"Father,  save  me  from  this  hour;  but  for  this  cause 
come  I  unto  this  hour. "  The  divine  corn-seed  drops 
into  the  ground ;  a  golden  harvest  waves,  and  heaven 
is  garnered  with  ransomed  souls. 

In  the  history  of  the  nation,  in  the  life  of  men,  in 
the  plan  of  redemption,  as  well  as  in  nature,  it  is  a 
law  of  universal  operation  that  out  of  self -renouncing, 
self-sacrificing  resignation  of  all,  the  benediction  of 
richer  fruitfulness,  of  glorified,  multiplied  existence, 


THE  LAW  OF  SELF- PRESERVATION.       417 

springs  forth.  If  Christ  had  not  died,  He  would 
"  abide  alone  " — alone  in  the  presence  of  His  Father, 
alone  in  the  bosom  of  eternal  silence;  back  in  the  past 
eternity  abide  alone ;  immensity  a  void ;  the  mysteri- 
ous trinity  in  unity,  pervading  and  filling  all  space; 
no  need  of  worlds  or  angels  to  glorify  them ;  there 
was  the  corn  of  wheat  abiding  alone,  the  Eternal  Sou 
with  the  Eternal  Father,  in  the  glory  which  He  had 
with  Him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  with- 
out any  of  the  sons  of  men.  The  corn  of  wheat  fell 
into  the  ground  and  died.  Impelled  by  nothing  but 
His  own  free  sovereign,  unmerited  grace,  Christ  re- 
solves not  to  abide  alone.  He  stood  to  the  yoke  of 
the  very  laws  He  had  made.  And  what  is  the  harvest? 
His — through  death  He  became  the  source  of  reviving 
power  and  fruitfulness.  His  power  is  the  kingdom 
which  is  the  measure  of  the  world's  empire  to-day. 
Where  is  the  power  of  Egypt  and  Assyria,  the 
wisdom  and  genius  of  Greece?  These,  founded  on 
mere  selfishness,  have  passed  away;  but  the  death 
of  the  Son  of  Man  forms  the  spiritual  power  that  is 
to  create  the  world  anew.  If  we  become  one  with 
God — and  what  higher  glory  or  felicity  is  conceiv- 
able?— let  us  ever  remember  that  Christ  in  His  obe- 
dience and  atoning  death  is  the  only  source  of  our 
salvation.  "  Even  the  Son  also  quickeneth  whom  he 
will." 

"  The  Son  of  Man  came  to  give  his  life  a  ransom 
27 


418      THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

for  many. "  This  is  what  the  Holy  Ghost  said  of  His 
death :  "  Who  gave  Himself  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be 
testified  in  due  time. "  A  ransom — do  you  know  what 
ransom  means?  It  means  an  equivalent  or  satisfaction 
for  things  forfeited  or  lost.  He  gave  Himself  a  ran- 
som for  all.  Let  us  take  note  of  the  word  /or.  The 
vicariousness  of  the  sacrifice  is  implied  in  the  word 
for.  Vicarious  act  is  an  act  for  (dros)  another.  The 
Son  of  Man  "  poured  out  His  soul  unto  death  for  us, " 
and  "  bore  the  sin  of  many,"  or,  according  to  the  Welsh 
hymn: 

"  'Nawr  dim  heb  dalu,  rhoddwyd  lawn 
Nea  clirio  llyfrau'r  nef  yn  llawn, 
Heb  ofyn  dim  i  mi." 

In  all  these  statements  the  death  of  our  Lord  is  set 
forth  as  the  pivot,  as  the  soul  and  center,  of  the  mys- 
terious transaction  of  redemption  for  others. 

2.  Let  us  observe,  secondly,  how  original  and  com- 
plete is  this  scheme — life  through  death,  growth  and 
fruitfulness  through  destruction.  A  grain  of  wheat  is 
small  and  very  insignificant,  yet  what  a  mystery  is 
contained  in  it !  A  little  child  may  hold  scores  of 
them  on  the  palm  of  its  hand,  yet  all  the  wisdom  of 
the  world  could  not  produce  one  grain.  To  produce 
one  grain  of  wheat  there  is  necessary  the  cooperation 
of  all  the  laws,  forces,  and  influences  of  nature.  If 
evolution  is  simply  the  history  of  the  steps  by  which 
the  world  has  come  to  be  what  it  is,  then,  according 


THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION.       419 

to  the  investigation  of  science  within  the  last  ten  years 
into  the  origin  and  growth  of  wheat,  wheat  api^arently 
does  not  come  under  the  law  of  evolution.  It  does 
not  come  under  the  law  of  "  survival  of  the  fittest. "  I 
do  not  intend  now  to  indicate  the  course  and  scope 
of  these  searches  more  than  to  say  that  the  records 
of  history  and  the  deposits  of  geology  testify  that 
wheat  has  no  developvient,  no  descent.  It  has  never 
been  found  in  a  fossil  state,  it  has  no  existence 
whatever  in  the  deposits  of  geology,  and,  further, 
it  has  never  been  found  in  a  wild  state  in  any  coun- 
try, nor  in  any  age,  and  never  existed  where  man  did 
not  cultivate  it.  Wheat  is  an  exception  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom,  for  the  reason  that  it  had  no  power 
to  perpetuate  its  own  existence,  like  some  other  grow- 
ing and  living  things.  A  crop  of  wheat  left  to  itself, 
in  any  latitude  or  country,  in  the  third  or  fourth 
year  from  its  first  planting  would  entirely  disappear. 
In  regard  to  the  staff  of  life,  man  is  the  high  priest 
who  was  ordained  to  administrate  between  God  and 
nature.  It  has  no  power  to  master  the  surrounding 
difficulties  so  as  to  become  self -perpetuating,  and 
never  exists  where  men  do  not  cultivate  it.  Thus 
wheat  does  not  come  under  the  law  of  the  survival  of 
the  fittest.  It  is  depending  entirely  on  God  for  its 
perpetuation. 

This  is  true  of  our  Kedeemer  as  a  grain  of  wheat. 
The   plan  of  our  salvation  not  only  depends  upon 


420      THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

God,  but  originated  in  the  Divine  Mind.  Christ  is  the 
"Bread  of  Life."  "Por  the  bread  of  God  is  that 
which  Cometh  down  out  of  heaven  and  giveth  life  unto 
the  world."  He  is  the  Dispenser  of  this  heavenly- 
vital  energy.  He  communicates  His  spiritual  life  and 
essence  itself  to  His  own,  and  therefore  makes  them 
like  Himself,  first  spiritually,  then  corporeally.  This 
is  the  universal  law  of  life :  a  death-like  metamorpho- 
sis as  a  condition  whereon  depends  the  renewal  of 
life;  is  type  of  the  fundamental  law  in  the  kingdom 
of  God ;  which  law  provides  that  we,  by  priestly  sur- 
render of  our  own  wills  to  the  will  of  God,  do  obtain 
new  kingly  life  from  God. 

3.  This  principle  involves,  further,  that  the  Son  of 
God  is  glorified  in  His  death. 

When  He  explained  this  system  in  brief  to  the 
Greeks,  He  said :  "  The  hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of 
Man  should  be  glorified."  As  the  Son  of  Man,  the 
normal  and  the  central  Man,  by  His  dying  the  divine 
energy  of  His  person  will  be  set  free  and  exerted  for 
all  mankind.  Nature  arrives  at  the  true  and  the 
beautiful  by  passing  through  death  into  life.  The 
higher  form  of  existence  is  obtained  only  through  ex- 
tinction of  the  lower  form  that  preceded  it.  The  food 
perishes  in  the  process  of  digestion  to  reappear  in 
vivified  flesh  and  blood;  and  by  dying  the  corn  of 
wheat  prolongs  and  glorifies  itself.  And  the  Lord 
entered  into  the  darkness  of  His  hour  and  proclaimed 


THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION.       421 

His  glory.  "  The  hour  is  come  " — the  hour  is  the 
secret  term  that  marks  the  passion ;  He  entered  the 
world  in  "  the  fulness  of  time " ;  He  wrought  His 
preparatory  work  "  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  ^lan" ; 
and  now,  after  ages  of  waiting  had  passed  into  days 
of  fulfilment,  and  those  days  are  compressed  into  an 
"hour,"  this  hour  stands  out  from  all  other  hours 
amid  the  reminiscences  of  the  past  and  anticipation  of 
ages  to  come.  All  prophecy  of  one  dispensation  after 
another  was  fulfilled  and  completed  on  this  hour.  It 
was  an  hour  of  intense  suffering,  an  hour  of  triumph. 
From  this  moment  the  shadow  of  the  cross  throws  its 
sacred  gloom  upon  every  incident  and  word.  The 
Passion  has  begun,  and  the  first  word  of  the  Son  of 
Man  when  entering  the  dark  valley  is,  the  "  hour  " — 
"  glomfied. "  His  lowest  humiliation  was  His  highest 
dignity.  The  dark  cloud  of  suffering  and  death  could 
not  hide  from  Him  the  results  of  His  death — glorifi- 
cation. He  saw  both  the  cloud  and  the  star,  and 
knew  well  which  of  the  two  was  transient  and  which 
would  endure.  Oh,  what  a  tremendous  self-sacrifice 
that  the  death  of  the  cross  involved !  Yet,  what  is 
very  remarkable,  in  five  brief  clauses  Christ  repeats 
the  word  "  glorify "  five  times,  as  if  to  His  view  a 
coronation  of  glories  played  at  that  moment  above  His 
cross.  He  was  glorified,  and  He  is  to  be  glorified  in 
the  results  of  His  death — "  bring  forth  much  fruit. " 
The  earth  is  the  only  wheat  country  in  the  universe  of 


422      THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

God ;  and  tlie  grain  of  wheat  is  bringing  much  fruit 
here,  which  will  be  gathered  into  the  eternal  kingdom 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

II.  Once  more,  self-renimciation  is  the  law  of  self- 
preservation ;  and,  conversely,  self-preservation  is  the 
law  of  self-destruction  in  the  life  of  man.  "  He  that 
loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he  that  hateth  his  life 
in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal."  There- 
fore the  way  to  eternal  life  is  to  hate  oneself.  That 
is,  death  of  self,  the  death  of  egoism,  that  clings  to 
outward  life  of  appearance,  is  the  condition  of  the 
tarnsition  from  the  old  life  to  the  new.  Thus  the 
Master  and  the  servant  are  under  the  same  law.  There 
is  no  other  way  to  preserve  or  redeem  against  our- 
selves than  by  self-hating  and  self-renouncing  sur- 
render of  ourselves  to  death.  Hence  if  we  should 
seek  to  gather  up  the  Hegelian  philosophy  in  a  sen- 
tence, as  a  Frenchman  once  asked  Hegel  to  do,  it 
would  be  this:  "Die  to  live."  This  expresses  the 
universal  principle  of  morals  and  the  spiritual  life  of 
the  children  of  God.  For  if  these  words  truly  express 
the  nature  of  spiritual  life,  then  in  the  spirit  may  be 
found  a  unity  which  will  account  for  and  overcome  all 
antagonisms  of  life  and  thought.  The  fatal  mistake 
of  the  political  and  religious  life  of  the  Greeks,  and  of 
the  ancient  world,  was  the  assertion  that  man  is  a  law 
and  end  to  himself.  But  this  is  not  the  teaching  of 
the  Teacher  from  heaven.     We  must  die  to  self  in  or- 


THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION.       423 

der  to  live  a  spiritual  life.*  That  which  is  held  good 
for  the  Master,  in  its  own  peculiar,  unapproachable 
sense,  as  of  the  seed  which  He  alone  could  sow — the 
sacrifice  He  alone  could  offer — is  not  less  on  that  ac- 
count a  type  for  us  and  fulfilled  in  us.  Suppose  for  a 
moment  that  Jesus,  seeking  only  His  personal  safet}', 
had  now  gone  to  the  Greeks  to  play  among  them  the 
part  of  a  sage,  or  to  organize  the  state  like  another 
Solon.  He  might,  indeed,  thus  have  saved  His  life, 
but  in  reality  have  lost  it.  Thus  kept  by  Him,  it 
would  have  remained  doomed  to  sterility  and  earthly 
*  "  The  way  to  self-realization  is  through  self-renunciation — 
i.e.,  through  renunciatiou  of  that  natural  and  immediate  life 
of  the  self  in  which  it  is  opposed  to  the  not-self.  Spiritual 
life  is  not  like  natural  life — a  direct  development  and  outgoing 
of  energy,  which  only  at  its  utmost  point  of  expansion  meets 
with  death  as  an  external  enemy,  and  in  it  finds  its  limit  and 
end.  On  the  contrary,  the  life  of  a  spiritual  being,  as  such, 
is,  in  a  true  sense,  a  continual  dying.  Every  step  in  it  is  won 
by  a  break  with  the  immediate  or  natural  self — the  self  which 
is  opposed  to  the  not-self ;  for  only  as  this  self  dies  can  the 
higher  self,  which  is  in  unity  with  the  not-self,  be  developed. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  just  for  this  reason,  there  is  for  this 
spiritual  self  no  absolute  death.  Because  it  is  capable  of 
dying  to  itself,— because,  indeed,  as  will  be  more  fully  shown 
in  the  sequel,  it  can  not  live  but  by  some  kind  of  dying  to 
self, — it  can  not  in  any  final  sense  die.  As  it  can  make  that 
which  most  seems  to  limit  it  a  part  of  its  own  life,  it  has  no 
absolute  limit;  it  takes  up  death  into  itself  as  an  element, 
and  does  not  therefore  need  to  fear  it  as  an  enemy.  "--Caird's 
Hegel,  pp.  210,  212. 


424      THE  LAW  OF  SELF-PRESERVATION. 

failure,  and  could  not  have  redounded  to  His  glory. 
But  by  self-denial,  by  renouncing  the  life  of  a  sage, 
He  became  a  Christ,  and  by  renouncing  the  throne  of  a 
Solon  He  obtained  the  throne  of  God.  The  gratifica- 
tion of  a  selfish  desire  in  Christ  at  this  moment  meant 
the  world's  ruin.  The  disciple,  then,  must  be  like 
his  Master,  the  servant  like  his  Lord.  There  are 
many  things  in  which  we  can  not  resemble  Him — in 
freedom  from  sin,  in  knowledge,  in  wisdom  and  power. 
But  in  this  highest  quality  of  all,  in  the  divinest  fac- 
ulty and  grace,  we  can  be  like  Him.  We  can  sacri- 
fice ourselves.  This  is  merely  a  necessary  means  to  a 
higher  life.  "  Therefore  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by 
the  mercies  of  God,  that  you  present  your  bodies  a  liv- 
ing sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God. "    "  Ich  dien. " 


THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

By  Rev.  Peter  Roberts,  Ph.D.,  Glyph  ant.  Pa. 

"The  wise  man's  eyes  are  in  his  licad,  and  the  fool  walketh 
in  darkness. " — Ecdes.  ii.  14. 

The  eye  is  given  man  to  see,  but  some  have  eyes 
and  see  not.  Yqvt  men  living  use  their  eyes  as  they 
should.  This  is  not  a  new  thing  in  the  world.  It 
was  so  in  the  days  of  Solomon ;  and  his  comment  on 
this  is  our  text. 

Some  men  make  far  better  use  of  their  eyes  than 
others.  Try  the  following  experiment.  Ask  half  a 
dozen  men  to  close  their  eyes;  then  lead  them  into  a 
room.  Tell  each  to  open  his  eyes  and  take  a  glance 
around  the  room,  then  close  them  again.  Lead  them 
out,  and  ask  each  separately  what  he  saw.  You  will 
be  convinced  at  once  that  some  people  see  far  more 
than  others.  Charles  Dickens  was  a  man  who  saw 
everything  at  a  glance.  Neander  was  different.  We 
are  told  that  some  men  are  color-blind,  others  see  at  a 
distance  better  than  near,  and  vice  versa.  Oculists 
of  large  practise  tell  us  that  few  men  have  perfect 
eyes.  Eye-glasses  are  very  common  to-day,  and  the 
reason  of  it  is  not  pride.  Greater  attention  is  given 
425 


426  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

the  eye  nowadays  than  ever  before,  and  tlie  defect  in 
vision  is  corrected  by  science. 

If  we  used  our  eyes  to  better  advantage,  this  earth 
would  be  a  far  more  interesting  place  to  live  in. 
Most  miners  spend  their  days  cutting  coal,  and  see 
nothing  in  the  strata  but  their  daily  bread.  But  take 
a  geologist  to  one  of  these  mines,  and  he  will  tell  you 
a  story  of  the  formation  of  these  vast  coal-beds  that 
will  be  most  edifying  and  instructive.  Take  a  bone 
to  Professor  Marsh,  and  he  will  tell  you  to  what  spe- 
cies of  animal  it  belongs,  and  from  it  will  be  able  to 
draw  a  sketch  of  the  whole  animal.  If  we  knew  how 
to  wisely  use  our  eyes,  this  earth  would  be  filled  with 
the  glory  of  God,  which  we  would  feel  every  step  of 
the  way. 

Not  only  do  we  speak  of  the  natural  eye  as  seeing, 
but  we  also  speak  of  the  eye  of  the  mind.  In  any 
discussion  we  often  ask  each  other :  "  Do  you  see  the 
point?  "  And  some  are  far  keener  than  others  to  see 
the  point.  Let  a  wit  address  an  audience  of  a  hun 
dred  people,  and  as  the  humor  leaps  from  his  lips  fifty 
per  cent  of  them  burst  forth  immediately  in  peals  of 
laughter.  Watch  the  others,  and  their  countenances 
will  also  beam,  when  they  will  see  the  point.  As  the 
eye  of  the  body  sees  external  things,  so  does  the  eye 
of  the  mind  perceive  ideas  and  thoughts. 

There  is  another  power  whereby  men  are  influenced. 
We  can  feel  when  we  can  not  comprehend.     Few  of 


THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  43^ 

us  understand  the  beauties  of  music  or  architecture, 
but  good  music  and  gorgeous  buildings  invariably 
affect  us.  Whoever  had  the  privilege  of  hearing  the 
celebrated  Welsh  Caradoc  choir  will  never  forget  it. 
Its  music  overwhelmed  and  subdued  the  soul,  and  raised 
us  above  things  of  earth.  The  effect  was  not  due  to 
our  comprehension  of  the  sweet  harmonies,  but  to  that 
power  in  every  soul  to  be  influenced  by  the  beautiful, 
the  grand,  and  the  good.  When  these  powers  of  the 
soul  are  touched,  we  are  filled  with  awe  and  reverence, 
and  they  are  the  forces  that  bind  the  soul  to  the  very 
throne  of  God. 

From  these  preliminary  remarks,  you  will  agree 
with  me  that  man  can  look  in  three  directions.  He 
can  look  out  on  the  world,  he  can  look  in  upon  the 
soul,  and  he  can  look  up  to  God.  The  subject  I  wish 
to  call  your  attention  to  is  this  threefold  look — out- 
ward, inward,  upward. 

I.  The  Outward  Look.  By  this  I  mean  proper  at- 
tention to  the  world  and  the  things  of  the  world.  It 
is  essential,  that  we  may  know  what  are  necessary  for 
our  comfort  and  adjust  ourselves  to  right  relations 
which  God  intended  should  exist  between  our  bodies 
and  the  world.  Inadequate  attention  to  this  accounts 
for  much  of  our  discontent  and  misery.  If  men  gave 
more  thought,  looked  with  a  steadier  purpose  on  the 
world  around  them,  their  lives  would  be  better  and 
happier. 


428  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

The  church  of  God  has  discouraged  this,  and  in 
general  it  may  be  said  to  be  still  guilty  of  the  charge. 
Men  have  the  idea  that  the  church  exists  for  one  thing 
only — viz.,  to  save  men  from  the  wrath  that  is  to 
come.  And  so  intent  have  they  been  on  that  one 
point  that  they  have  cut  off  our  glance  from  the  things 
of  the  world.  They  call  upon  all  men  to  look  from 
the  world  to  the  kingdom  that  is  to  come,  saying  that 
the  perishing  things  of  time  are  not  worthy  of  atten- 
tion. And  it  is  teaching  of  this  kind  that  has  given 
plausibility  to  the  criticism  of  secularists,  who  say 
that  Christians  neglect  this  present  world,  which  they 
could  greatly  improve,  for  the  sake  of  a  future  one. 
God  will  give  us  a  heaven  hereafter,  and  we  must 
labor  to  be  worthy  of  a  place  in  that  kingdom ;  but  we 
must  remember  that  we  have  bodies,  and  it  has  pleased 
our  Heavenly  Father  to  plant  us  in  this  beautiful 
earth ;  and  don't  you  think  it  is  His  wiU  that  we  should 
give  attention  to  the  laws  of  this  life?  Yes,  it  is  His 
will.  Our  Father  would  have  all  His  children  study 
the  laws  of  their  physical  well-being. 

How  much  of  life  is  annually  wasted  because  of 
men's  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  nature?  Life  is  har- 
mony between  our  bodies  and  the  external  world. 
When  that  harmony  is  perfect,  we  have  health ;  when 
it  is  disturbed,  we  have  sickness ;  when  it  is  wholly 
severed,  that  is  death.  When  we  violate  the  laws  of 
nature,  we  are  warned  by  pain;  but  few  of  us  give 


TEE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  429 

adequate  attention  to  the  warning.  Many  of  us  are 
wilful  children,  trampling  under  foot  nature's  laws, 
bent  on  gratifying  appetite,  until  at  length  a  general 
breakdown  follows.  Then  we  complain  of  the  mys- 
teries of  Providence,  and  say  how  unkind  God  is  in 
punishing  us  so.  God  sent  warning,  but  we,  caring 
more  for  self-indulgence  than  self-restraint,  choosing 
the  way  of  inordinate  passion  rather  than  continence, 
have  brought  upon  ourselves  due  punishment.  Oh, 
that  men  were  wise,  and  would  keep  their  eyes  in  their 
heads  while  they  are  in  the  body !  Our  lives  would  be 
longer  and  much  happier. 

When  God  placed  man  on  earth,  His  command  was, 
"Subdue  the  earth."  The  work  done  by  men  from 
that  time  to  the  present  day  is  great,  but  it  has  only 
been  possible  by  the  outward  look.  How  wonderful 
are  the  forces  of  nature  brought  under  man's  control! 
He  has  thrown  bit  and  bridle  on  these  giants,  and  com- 
manded them  to  turn  our  wheels,  revolve  our  spindles, 
weave  our  garments,  heat  our  homes,  cook  our  food, 
light  our  streets,  protect  us  from  the  cold,  keep  us 
from  hunger,  and  transfer  us  wherever  we  will.  The 
comforts  of  modern  civilization  are  the  result  of  this 
outward  look.  And  God  bless  those  men  who  sacrificed 
their  comforts,  and  many  of  them  their  lives,  while 
endeavoring  to  wrench  from  nature  her  secrets !  They 
wield  the  magician's  wand  that  summons  forces  from 
the  deep,  which  come  as  humble  servants  to  minister 


430  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

to  the  needs  of  man.  And  if  any  person  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  has  a  right  to  enjoy  these  blessings,  it 
is  the  Christian.  They  are  gifts  from  our  Heavenly 
Father,  and  He  expects  His  children  to  rightly  use 
them.  And  may  the  day  hasten  when  they  will  be 
wholly  consecrated  on  the  altar  of  divine  service. 

The  church  is  gradually  coming  to  a  sense  of  its 
duty  in  this  respect.  We  have  learned  that  men  can 
be  better  Christians  if  they  have  comfortable  homes, 
good  food,  warm  clothing,  pleasant  surroundings, 
and  a  healthy  family.  Some  of  our  churches  have 
branched  forth  into  institutional  churches.  They 
have  their  reading-rooms,  their  gymnasiums,  their 
sewing-circles,  their  cooking-schools,  etc.  It  is  the 
church  cultivating  the  outward  look ;  and  it  does  well 
in  doing  so.  Many  good  sermons  have  been  spoiled 
in  their  delivery ;  and  the  people  say  it  was  the  ab- 
sence of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  was  nothing  of  the  kind. 
The  failure  was  due  to  physical  indisposition,  because 
of  a  night  of  tossing  and  restlessness.  Gymnastic 
exercise  is  the  remedy.  There  are  men  who  believe 
they  are  possessed  with  a  devil, — and  I  believe  they 
are  right.  But  if  you  want  to  find  out  what  devil  it 
is,  go  to  his  kitchen,  and  you  will  find  it  there.  And 
when  the  church  opens  cooking-schools,  it  is  on  the 
right  way  to  cast  out  these  devils.  There  are  many 
women  out  of  the  church  this  day  who  once  were 
loyal  to  their  Master  and  faithful  to  their  covenant. 


TEE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  431 

Ask  one  of  them  if  she  still  loves  her  Savior  and  His 
church,  and  she  answers,  "Yes."  But  the  man  who 
pledged  her  his  troth  has  given  himself  to  drink ;  he 
behaves  as  a  brute,  he  ruins  the  home,  he  spends 
their  substance  in  whisky,  and  that  habitation  that 
was  once  beautiful  as  a  poem  has  become  an  abomina- 
tion. And  when  the  church  of  God  takes  up  temper- 
ance work,  and  fights  the  dramshop,  and  calls  upon 
all  men  to  close  these  whisky  dens,  that  men  may  be 
sober,  industrious,  and  humane,  it  is  engaged  in  good 
work  and  cultivates  the  outward  look. 

Church  of  God,  don't  forget  the  outward  look !  It 
is  very  important.  "We  can  not  get  along  without  it. 
We  can  live  better  so,  and  it  is  the  will  of  our  Father 
that  we  exercise  it. 

II.  The  Inward  Look.  By  this  I  mean  a  look  at 
the  soul.  It  means  reflection  and  contemplation.  It 
is  the  attempt  to  answer  the  question.  What  is  this 
personality  within  which  we  call  "I"?  It  is  inves- 
tigation in  the  line  pointed  out  by  the  Greek  phi- 
losophers, "Know  thyself."  There  is  within  each 
one  of  us  a  jewel,  planted  there  by  the  hands  of 
Almighty  God ;  and  the  inward  look  is  a  look  to  study 
that  which  is  of  more  value  than  aught  else  in  the 
universe. 

There  are  many  who  do  not  practise  the  outward 
look  as  they  should;  but  the  number  of  those  who 
do  not  practise  the  inward  look  is  far  greater.     Most 


432  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

men  have  to  cultivate  the  outward  look,  especially  if 
there  be  a  little  frost  on  the  sidewalk ;  but  thousands 
of  these  get  along  tolerably  well  in  life  without  a  look 
at  that  soul  that  can  shine  with  greater  brilliancy  than 
the  brightest  star  in  the  firmament. 

The  vulgar  think  more  of  external  things  than  they 
do  of  things  pertaining  to  the  mind  and  the  soul. 
Without,  they  say,  are  interesting  thiags.  There  are 
the  sources  of  our  pleasures.  There  are  the  means  of 
our  enjoyments.  Ask  them  if  they  find  anything 
within,  and  they  will  naively  answer,  "  No,  there  is 
nothing  within. "  "  The  fool  walketh  in  darkness. " 
There  is  within  each  casement  of  clay^  a  living  soul ; 
and  would  to  God  we  were  to  spend  more  time  in  con- 
templatiag  it!  We  do  not  know  ourselves.  We  have 
powers  and  capacities  that  bind  us  to  the  very  throne 
of  God.  Most  of  us  are  content  to  dwell  in  the  dust, 
and  seek  not  to  understand  the  secret  of  that  dignity 
and  honor  conferred  upon  man  in  his  creation,  when 
he  was  made  in  the  image  of  God — made  a  little  lower 
than  God.  We  sink  deep  shafts  for  the  black  dia- 
mond, and  go  down  deep  for  our  ore.  We  go  to  the 
heart  of  the  dark  continent  for  our  precious  stones. 
Men  risk  their  lives  by  plunging  into  the  depths  of 
the  ocean  in  search  of  that  little  oyster  that  knows 
the  secret  of  making  a  pearl,  which  has  long  baffled 
the  skill  of  man.  But  within  each  of  us  there  is  a 
jewel,  a  gem,  a  diamond,  brighter  than  any  that  ever 


THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  433 

shone  on  royal  brows,  more  glorious  than  the  evening 
star;  and  yet  men  do  not  dig  for  it,  they  do  not  risk 
much  to  find  it  out.  Oh,  that  men  were  wise,  and  try 
the  inward  look,  and  would  know  what  is  that  "  I " 
within!  What  are  you? — not  your  body,  not  your 
clothes,  I  mean,  but  that  personality  that  confers  upon 
man  the  crown  of  glory  in  creation. 

Some  one  asks,  "  What  is  there  to  be  gained  by  the 
inward  look?"  The  outward  look  gives  us  material 
comforts;  but  the  inward  look — what  can  it  give? 
Let  me  ask  you,  Where  is  love — that  ministering 
angel  that  adds  so  much  sweetness  to  life,  that  fills 
every  home  where  it  abides  with  heavenly  harmonies, 
which  binds  hearts  together  in  bonds  that  death  can 
not  sever,  and  which  is  the  unifying  power  in  the 
heart  of  the  triune  God?  Where  are  the  social  affec- 
tions that  make  life  tolerable,  so  that  we  are  able 
to  live  in  communities  and  thrive?  Let  me  ask  you, 
Where  are  the  passions?  Where  do  these  dwell — 
malice,  anger,  jealousy,  hatred — which  are  as  venom- 
ous as  hissing  serpents,  confusing  our  lives,  harassing 
our  plans,  turning  our  homes  into  bedlams,  and  ma- 
king of  our  institutions  fiery  furnaces?  Where  are 
the  habitations  of  reverence,  benevolence,  conscience, 
which  powers  hold  us  to  a  sense  of  our  duty  more 
effectually  than  all  the  prisons  of  the  world,  and  make 
it  possible  for  us  to  hold  communion  with  the  invisi- 
ble God?  Are  not  these  within?  Yes,  there  is  more 
28 


434  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

within  than  without ;  and  it  would  be  easier  for  me 
to  prove  that  there  is  nothing  without  than  nothing 
within.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  this  rich  field  of 
investigation  in  each  one,  how  few  are  the  men  who 
reflect — turn  upon  themselves  and  spend  an  hour  in 
serious  contemplation  of  the  soul. 

This  fault,  so  common,  accounts  for  much  of  the 
evils  of  life.  Here  are  two  men;  they  are  alike 
tempted.  The  one  instantly  loses  all  control  of  him- 
self; he  is  swayed  with  passion;  he  foams  at  the 
mouth ;  he  tears  himself ;  he  is  possessed  of  the  devil. 
The  other  is  calm ;  he  turns  blanched ;  he  trembles  in 
every  nerve ;  you  can  feel  the  excitement  within ;  he 
speaks  not ;  he  is  calm  amid  the  tempest ;  with  a  firm 
hand  he  holds  in  stern  submission  the  hounds  of  war 
which  rage  within.  What  accounts  for  this  differ- 
ence? The  one  is  an  object  of  contempt,  the  other  of 
admiration  and  awe ;  the  one  tossed  by  stormy  pas- 
sions that  lash  him  mercilessly,  the  other  perfect  mas- 
ter of  himself  in  the  hour  of  trial.  We  turn  from  the 
one  in  scorn,  to  the  other  we  bow  in  adoration.  The 
difference  is,  that  the  one  has  known  himself  and  can 
govern  his  "I,"  the  other  knows  nothing  of  such  a 
task.  "  He  that  ruleth  his  spirit  [is  better]  than  he 
that  taketh  a  city. "  Have  we  not  seen  fair  and  beau- 
tiful dames,  adorned  with  ornaments  of  gold  and  pre- 
cious stones,  decked  in  fabrics  of  rare  pattern,  who 
were  very  careful  that  not  a  speck  would  mar  the 


THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  435 

beauty  of  their  garment,  even  fastidiously  particular 
that  every  part  of  their  gear  is  right — externally  per- 
fect? But  within  dwell  envy,  jealousy,  malice;  and 
from  these  comes  a  shadow  that  casts  gloom  on  all  that 
is  radiant  without.  They  manifest  themselves  in  the 
envious  eye,  the  slanderous  tongue,  the  mean  and  con- 
temptible demeanor ;  and  the  fair  and  beautiful  crea- 
ture has  become  a  shriveled  and  puckered  soul  which 
we  despise.  That  which  is  from  without  defiles  not 
the  body ;  defilement  comes  from  within.  On  the 
other  hand,  persons  with  miserable  exteriors  have 
shone  with  almost  divine  splendor.  That  was  the 
case  with  Pestalozzi.  He  was  a  small  man,  his  body 
crooked,  his  face  covered  with  smallpox  marks  and 
with  freckles ;  his  hair  rose  from  his  crown  in  all  con- 
ceivable angles,  his  dress  was  shabby  and  his  shoes 
torn.  But  that  homely  little  man  had  a  soul  within 
him ;  and  his  pupils,  when  they  saw  his  face,  were 
glad  with  joy,  and  pressed  around  him,  and  said, 
"  Father  Pestalozzi !  "  Why  ?  Because  he  had  a  soul 
that  had  been  trained  in  meekness  and  love,  in  pa- 
tience and  forbearance,  in  long-suffering  and  kind- 
ness. These  made  that  uncomely  little  teacher  the 
ideal  of  all  his  pupils,  the  hero  of  his  generation, 
and  the  admiration  of  the  civilized  world  to  this 
day. 

Friends,  cultivate  the  inward  look!     Enter  your 
closet,   close  the  door,  look  deep  and  long  within. 


436  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

Eead  what  your  Father  has  written  there ;  and  if  con- 
scientiously you  do  this,  you  will  be  a  better  man  and 
better  able  to  combat  the  difficulties  of  life. 

III.  The  Upward  Look.  By  this  I  mean  a  look  up 
to  where  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  dwells. 
It  is  acknowledgment  of  God  as  our  Father,  a  longing 
for  His  presence  and  help,  and  an  earnest  desire  for 
His  fellowship.  It  is  the  longing  of  the  soul  for  the 
homeland  j  for  yonder,  we  all  shaU  soon  be.  And  of 
all  looks,  this  is  the  most  important. 

Have  you  thought  how  often  Jesus  looked  upward? 
In  the  brief  account  we  have  of  His  life  it  is  often 
recorded  that  He  looked  up.  When  He  had  any  im- 
portant work  to  perform.  He  looked  heavenward. 
When  He  fed  the  five  thousand.  He  looked  up. 
When  He  raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead.  He  looked 
up.  Jesus  knew  that  in  the  home  whence  He  had 
come  was  all  power ;  and  thence  He  turned  in  trying 
moments  in  His  life;  and  that  source  of  all  power 
never  failed  Him.  We  are  very  different.  Few  of 
us  look  up  to  the  Father  above,  from  whom  comes 
every  good  and  perfect  gift.  We  constantly  look  to 
the  earth,  and  little  time  have  we  for  the  upward 
look.  Some  take  a  rapid  glance  night  and  morning. 
Our  Lord  spent  all  nights  in  that  upward  look.  Alone 
on  the  mountain.  He  communed  with  His  Father  the 
night  long;  and  when  morning  came  He  descended  to 
the  plain  and  began  the  day  by  working  miracles.     If 


THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  437 

we  could  spend  nights  in  earnest  prayer,  perchance 
we  would  also  do  mighty  works  in  His  name.  Let 
the  church  of  God  remember  that  it  can  not  get  along 
without  this  upward  look.  The  outward  look  is  not 
essential  to  its  life.  Many  good  and  godly  people  are 
on  their  way  to  glory,  and  they  have  not  cultivated  a 
deep  inward  look.  But  no  one  can  enter  the  kingdom 
without  the  upward  look.  An  old  pilgrim  said  in 
days  of  old,  "  I  look  to  the  hills  whence  cometh  my 
strength  " ;  and,  beloved,  if  we  are  to  be  strong  in  the 
Lord,  we  must  not  forget  the  hills. 

None  of  you  can  live  happily  without  this  upward 
look.  No,  there  is  no  true  happiness  without  your 
God.  You  owe  Him  all  things,  for  "  in  Him  you  live 
and  move  and  have  your  being."  Every  breath  you 
take  comes  from  Him.  Every  heart  that  beats,  does 
so  because  He  is.  The  strength  you  daily  consume 
comes  from  the  source  of  infinite  power.  And  yet 
never  have  you  bowed  before  that  God  and  acknowl- 
edged Him  as  your  Creator  and  Preserver.  Never 
have  you  earnestly  thanked  Him  for  His  goodness.  Is 
that  reasonable?  Is  it  right?  What  says  the  voice 
within?  God  pity  the  man  that  never  turns  his  eyes 
heavenward!  Bow  the  knee,  friend,  this  day.  Let 
not  the  day  close  before  you  look  to  the  hills  whence 
your  strength  comes.  To-day,  God  is  willing  to  hear 
and  answer  if  ye  harden  not  your  hearts.  Believe 
me,  the  day  will  come  when  you  will  look  up.     There 


438  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

comes  a  day  "  when  your  fear  cometli  as  a  storm,  and 
your  calamity  cometh  as  a  whirlwind,  when  distress 
and  anguish  come  upon  you.  Then  shall  they  call 
upon  me,  but  I  will  not  answer ;  they  shall  seek  me 
diligently,  but  they  shall  not  find  me. " 

You  want  the  upward  look,  for  you  need  sympathy 
in  the  hour  of  trial,  and  there  is  no  one  who  can  sym- 
pathize as  the  Lord.  See  that  small  family.  It  is 
worldly  and  indifferent  to  the  upward  look.  But  in 
a  moment  the  father  is  cut  down,  and  the  wife  is 
plunged  in  grief.  She  has  a  daughter,  and  she  now 
lives  for  her.  The  child's  eyes  are  affected,  and  with 
anxiety  she  consults  the  best  physicians.  But  one  day 
the  child  says :  "  Mother,  I  can  not  see  you. "  She 
was  blind,  and  the  afflicted  mother  bowed  her  head 
and  said :  "  0  God,  be  merciful !  "  Poor  mother ! 
How  much  she  missed  during  the  years  of  her  calam- 
ity by  not  crying  to  her  Heavenly  Father,  and  laying 
her  burden  on  His  bosom.  Ye  burden-bearers  on  the 
rugged  way  of  life,  look  up !  There  is  a  Father  above 
who  knows  our  sorrows  and  is  acquainted  with  our 
grief,  and  He  will  give  His  beloved  deliverance.  He 
will  help  you  in  sorrow,  deliver  us  in  distress,  and 
comfort  us  in  trouble.  Remember  that  salvation  is  of 
the  Lord. 

You  need  this  upward  look,  for  you  need  forgive- 
ness of  sin.  Yes,  sin  is  there — a  cancer  that  eats 
within  and  troubles  us  every  hour.     It  is  the  ghost 


THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  439 

that  comes  uninvited  to  every  feast.  The  accuser 
condemns,  and  there  is  no  power  on  earth  able  to 
silence  its  voice.  What  are  3^011  going  to  do  about 
that?  Are  you  bound  for  eternity  with  that  burden 
pressing  heavily  upon  your  soul?  You  would  better 
tarry  and  consider.  You  can  get  rid  of  the  burden ; 
it  is  by  the  upward  look.  The  old  pilgrim  looked  at 
the  cross,  and  his  burden  rolled  away.  Yes,  there  is 
pardon  with  God;  He  has  reconciled  the  world  to 
Himself  in  Jesus.  And  He  does  it,  not  imputing  unto 
us  our  sins.  God  loves  you,  and  He  is  willing  to  for- 
give your  sins  J  but  the  condition  is  the  upward  look. 
You  must  turn  and  set  your  face  toward  the  house 
of  your  Father ;  and  the  moment  that  is  done,  peace 
will  flow  into  your  soul — the  sweet  peace  of  God's 
love. 

You  ought  to  look  up,  for  soon  we  shall  be  in  that 
country  above.  You  are  bound  for  eternity,  whether 
you  will  or  no.  You  are  a  pilgrim  to  that  country 
from  whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns.  "Where  will 
you  spend  eternity?  Why  should  I  ask  such  a  ques- 
tion? None  of  you  chooses  hell  for  his  eternal  home. 
You  all  expect  to  enter  heaven  by  some  door  or  other. 
I  pray  God  you  may  do  so ;  but,  friend,  let  me  ask 
you,  What  are  you  doing  to  secure  xmto  yourself  that 
eternal  home  on  high?  Is  it  not  time  for  you  to  look 
up  the  way,  join  yourself  to  the  pilgrim  band,  get  a 
little  acquainted  with  the  country,  and  trust  your  soul 


440  THE  THREEFOLD  LOOK. 

to  the  Lord  of  the  land?  When  I  came  to  America,  I 
got  my  atlas  and  searched  for  Liverpool,  then  for  New 
York,  then  for  Connecticut,  and  last  of  all  the  city  of 
New  Haven, — for  that  was  the  destination  of  my  jour- 
ney. When  I  started,  I  thought  I  knew  the  way. 
Many  years  ago  I  started  to  a  city  whose  builder  and 
founder  is  God.  It  is  a  goodly  city  up  yonder  in  the 
sky.  It  is  the  home  of  the  saints,  the  new  Jerusalem, 
the  city  of  our  God.  This  Bible  is  the  book  that  tells 
us  something  of  the  way.  Those  who  start,  begin  the 
journey  from  repentance  and  regeneration.  They  call 
on  the  way  at  free  grace  and  redeeming  love.  The 
pilgrims  are  known,  for  they  sing  the  songs  of  Zion. 
I  am  one  of  that  company,  tho  unworthy  of  the 
name.  I  think  the  Master's  presence  has  been  felt 
by  us  in  this  house  when  looking  to  the  hills.  I  have 
passed  through  dark  places  on  the  pilgrimage;  but, 
thanks  be  to  God!  the  Father's  hand  led  the  way.  I 
have  watched  by  the  side  of  beloved  ones  as  they  died 
in  the  faith  and  passed  into  the  rest  of  the  children  of 
God,  and  methinks  that  I  could  see  from  afar  a  dim 
reflection  of  that  beautiful  city  above.  Yes,  friends, 
I  do  believe  I  know  the  way ;  and  by  God's  grace  this 
poor  sinner  hopes  to  reach  the  beautiful  shore  by  and 
by.  I  want  you  all  to  join  me.  God  grant  you  help 
to  join  the  pilgrim  band!  You  will  soon  be  yonder. 
Come  study  a  little  on  the  way  before  you  go.  Call 
upon  your  Savior,  whom  you  soon  expect  to  meet. 


TEE  THREEFOLD  LOOK.  441 

Cry  unto  your  God,  before  whom  you  soon  expect  to 
appear.  Look  up  to  the  company  of  the  redeemed, 
among  whom  you  soon  expect  to  spend  eternity.  And 
in  doing  so  the  Lord  will  bless  you  and  cause  the  light 
of  His  countenance  to  illumine  the  way. 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

By   Rev.  William  Roberts,  D.D.,  Utica,  N.  Y. 
"Mighty  to  save." — Isa.  Ixiii.  1. 

The  redemption  of  sinners  is  effected  through  a 
wonderful  process  of  conquest  and  destruction.  Four 
mighty  empires  are  vanquished  and  demolished  in  the 
rescue  of  sinners  from  the  state  of  their  spiritual 
thraldom — the  kingdom  of  Satan,  the  dominion  of  sin, 
the  supremacy  of  the  world,  and  the  empire  of  death. 
The  tyradnical  and  oppressive  dominions  of  Satan,  of 
sin,  of  the  world,  and  of  death  must  be  overthrown 
and  abolished  in  order  to  complete  the  salvation  of 
human  sinners ;  for  Christ  *'  must  reign  till  He  hath 
put  all  enemies  under  His  feet." 

To  effect  this  great  undertaking  on  legitimate 
grounds,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for  the  Eternal 
Son  of  God  to  propitiate  and  magnify  the  divine  gov- 
ernment by  a  sufficient  ransom,  even  His  precious 
blood.  The  mediatorial  throne  of  Christ  as  the  King 
of  Zion  has  been  founded  and  erected  upon  the  merits 
of  His  atoning  sacrifice  as  a  priest.  Hence  the  ele- 
ments of  His  priestly  office  constitute  the  basis  of 
443 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  443 

the  power  and  authority  of  His  kingly  office ;  and  the 
great  work  which  He  accomplishes  in  the  latter  capac- 
ity is  the  actual  redemption  of  sinners  by  overcoming 
and  destroying  their  bitter  and  cruel  enemies.  His 
meritorious  triumph  on  the  cross  is  to  be  regarded  as 
the  ground  of  His  actual  triumph  by  the  Gospel. 

Our  Lord,  in  the  illustrious  prophecy  of  which  the 
text  forms  a  part,  is  beautifully  represented  as  a 
mighty  conqueror,  returning  in  triumph  from  the 
field  of  battle,  having  His  garments  covered  with  the 
blood  of  His  enemies,  appearing  *'  as  one  that  treadeth 
in  the  wine-fat."  The  Prophet,  being  struck  with 
His  majestic  appearance,  anxiously  inquires,  "  Who 
is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments 
from  Bozrah?  "  The  kingdom  of  Edom,  or  Idumea, 
of  which  Bozrah  was  the  chief  city,  was  a  rival  and 
an  enemy  of  the  Jews,  the  people  of  God.  The 
word  Edom  signifies  red,  as  is  blood;  and  Bozrah 
means  vintage.  According  to  the  prophetical  idiom, 
this  denotes  God's  vengeance  on  His  enemies. 

lu  all  His  triumphs,  Messiah  appears  arrayed  in 
glorious  apparel  as  some  mighty  prince;  and  travel- 
ing not  as  one  wearied  with  the  combat,  but  **  in  the 
greatness  of  His  strength,"  able  and  prepared  to  van- 
quish all  opposing  powers.  And  when  it  was  asked, 
"  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,"  Messiah  Him- 
self answers,  "I  that  speak  in  righteousness,"  I  who 
pronounce  sentence   in  righteousness  upon  my  ene- 


444  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

mies,  and  am  mighty  to  save  My  Church  from  the 
tyranny  and  oppression  of  her  adversaries. 

Having  made  these  preliminary  remarks,  let  me 
invite  your  attention  to  what  is  implied  and  what 
is  declared  in  the  text.  The  truth  implied  is  the 
misery,  wretchedness,  and  danger  of  man's  state  by 
nature.  The  truth  declared  is  the  all-sufficiency  of 
Christ' s  power  to  save  him  from  his  lost  and  ruined 
condition — "mighty  to  save." 

I.  Let  us  notice  the  misery,  wretchedness,  and 
danger  of  man's  state  by  nature.  The  terms  savior, 
salvation,  and  to  save,  imply  that  his  condition  is 
one  of  misery  and  danger.  His  state  is  such  as  to 
require  a  mighty  Savior. 

1.  We  remark  that  man  is  in  a  lost  and  perishing 
condition.  Humanity  is  defined  in  the  language  of 
inspiration  as  "that  which  was  lost."  Man  is  rep- 
resented under  the  different  emblems  of  a  lost  sheep 
and  a  criminal  sentenced  to  die. 

As  a  lost  sheep,  he  has  abandoned  God,  his  faith- 
ful and  provident  Shepherd;  he  has  departed  from 
the  sheepfold  of  His  covenant;  he  has  broken  over 
the  limits  of  His  law ;  he  has  strayed  from  the  fruit- 
ful land  of  His  favor,  into  the  sterile  wilderness  of 
this  world,  and  here  he  is  surrounded  by  the  devour- 
ing wolves  of  worldly  lusts,  and  the  roaring  lions  of 
the  infernal  den,  exposed  to  all  their  cruelty,  ferocity, 
and  destructive  power.     Now  Christ,  the  Good  Shep- 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  445 

herd,  must  be  "  mighty  to  save, "  ere  He  could  rescue 
sinners  from  under  the  claws,  nay,  from  the  very 
jaws,  of  such  powerful  and  insatiate  monsters. 

Again,  man  is  described  as  a  culprit  under  the 
awful  sentence  of  death.  "  Judgment  is  come  upon 
all  to  condemnation."  "We  have  before  proved," 
says  the  Apostle  Paul,  **  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  that 
they  are  under  sin," — i.e.,  we  have  proved  from  the 
records  of  the  court  of  heaven  that  all  have  been 
found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  die  eternally.  There 
it  is  written,  "  There  is  none  righteous — no,  not  one  " ; 
"  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die. "  The  sentence 
is  strictly  just,  immutable,  and  unalterable,  tho  trans- 
ferable ;  and  it  involves  in  its  nature  an  infinite  punish- 
ment. Now  Christ  must  be  *'  mighty  to  save"  before 
He  could  suffer  an  infinite  punishment  in  a  definite 
period  of  time. 

2.  We  observe,  that  the  state  of  sinful  man  is  that 
of  poverty,  of  degradation,  of  misery.  My  fellow 
sinner,  let  me  candidly  tell  you  that  I  am  speaking 
to  you  personally — "Thou  art  the  man."  You  may 
be  rolling  in  wealth  and  affluence;  you  may  be  oc- 
cupying a  respectable  position  in  society;  you  may 
be  adorned  with  the  imposing  accompaniments  of 
knowledge  and  learning ;  yet,  in  a  moral  point  of  view, 
you  are  in  a  state  of  poverty,  degradation,  and  misery. 
You  may  be  unconscious  of  it;  but  in  reality  this  is 
your  condition. 


446  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

Man  is  so  awfully  ruined  by  sin  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  employs  the  most  striking  and  lively  figures  to 
represent  it. 

Man  is  stated  to  be  blind,  naked,  and  dead.  He 
has  been  born  blind;  his  nakedness  is  of  such  a  char- 
acter that  no  means  of  covering  could  be  devised  by 
any  created  understanding;  and  he  is  in  addition 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  Now,  the  Savior  must 
be  mighty  in  ability  and  ingenuity,  or  He  could 
never  open  the  eyes  of  one  that  has  been  born  in 
moral  blindness.  He  must  be  mighty  in  His  work, 
otherwise  He  could  not  have  wrought  a  robe  of  right- 
eousness to  cover  the  nakedness  of  man's  guilt  from 
the  all-seeing  eye  of  the  heart-searching  God.  He 
must  be  mighty  in  power  and  authority,  or  He  could 
not  deliver  man  from  the  strong  grasp  of  spiritual 
death,  and  restore  him  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  life  of 
holiness  and  happiness. 

Again,  man  is  represented  as  a  debtor,  as  a  pris- 
oner, as  a  slave.  His  liabilities  are  infinitely  beyond 
his  power  of  discharging  them.  He  is  a  moral  bank- 
rupt, and  has  nothing  to  pay.  He  is  a  prisoner  law- 
fully committed  into  the  custody  of  divine  justice. 
And  besides,  he  is  reduced  to  a  state  of  bondage,  be- 
ing the  willing  slave  of  Satan,  who  holds  him  captive 
at  his  will.  Now  the  Savior  must  be  mighty  in 
wealth,  the  treasures  of  His  merit  must  be  inex- 
haustible, otherwise  He  could  not  pay  man's  enormous 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  447 

debt.  His  atonement  must  be  mighty  in  value  and 
virtue,  or  it  could  never  have  satisfied  the  demands 
of  Divine  justice,  so  as  to  effect  the  liberation  of  the 
prisoner.  And  He  must  be  mighty  in  strength  and 
influence,  or  else  He  could  not  baffle  the  power  of 
Satan,  and  win  over  the  heart  of  the  poor  slave  into 
His  holy  service. 

3.  We  remark  that  the  natural  condition  of  man 
is  a  state  of  moral  impotency.  In  reference  to  this, 
the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  says,  "  For  when  we 
were  yet  without  strength,  in  due  time  Christ  died 
for  the  ungodly."  Man  is  utterly  incapable  of  rescu- 
ing himself.  He  has  lost  the  Divine  image,  and  con- 
sequently has  lost  his  moral  beauty  and  excellence; 
he  can  not  find  a  substitute  for  it  in  all  his  invented 
artificials  or  his  imagined  good  qualities.  He  has 
lost  his  spiritual  liberty,  and  therefore  has  lost  the 
very  element  of  his  happiness ;  and  he  can  not  redeem 
it  by  any  sacrifice  whatever.  He  has  lost  the  Divine 
favor,  and  consequently  has  lost  all  claim  to  the  pro- 
tection of  his  Maker;  and  it  is  infinitely  beyond  his 
power  to  regain  it.  Oh,  the  great  loss  of  man  through 
sin!  It  is  enough  to  make  angels  weep.  Is  it  not 
truly  lamentable  and  heartrending  to  behold  God's 
servant  on  earth  the  abject  slave  of  Satan?  the  hon- 
orable and  noble  creature,  man,  reduced  to  the  most 
degrading  condition?  he  who  wore  the  precious 
and  glittering  diadem  of  holiness  and  happiness  cast 


448  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

into  the  dungeon  of  impurity,  corruption,  and  misery? 
lie  who  was  created  in  God's  image  exchanged  into 
that  of  a  demon?     Awful  reflection! 

4.  Another  doleful  feature  of  man's  state  by  na- 
ture is  his  insensibility.  He  is  unconscious  of  his 
danger.  This  characteristic  of  his  condition  exhibits 
him  in  a  still  more  wretched  and  deplorable  aspect. 
Altho  he  is  in  the  power  of  Satan,  as  a  slave  in 
the  possession  of  a  pitiless  tyrant,  yet  he  is  insensible 
of  the  degradation  of  his  position.  Tho  he  stands  as 
it  were  on  the  precipice  of  eternal  perdition,  yet  he 
is  unconscious  of  his  imminent  peril.  He  is  asleep 
under  the  influence  of  moral  lethargy.  Tho  the  fell 
disease  of  sin  is  rapidly  devastating  his  soul,  yet  he 
feels  not  his  ruin.  He  labors  under  the  fearful  malady 
of  spiritual  insanity.  He  thoughtlessly  laughs  at 
things  which  should  make  him  weep  bitterly.  He 
is  morally  mad.  These  are  the  real  features  of  the 
wretchedness  and  misery  of  man's  state  by  nature. 
He  is  fallen !  He  is  fallen !  What  shall  become  of 
him?  Shall  we  give  him  up  as  eternally  lost?  Shall 
we  entomb  him  in  the  graveyard  of  despair?  Shall 
we  commit  him  to  the  dungeon  of  irreparable  misery? 
No,  no!  Is  there  hope  of  his  recovery?  Yes.  Look! 
Behold!  Gaze!  "Who  is  this  that  cometh  from 
Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah;  this  that  is 
glorious  in  his  apparel,  traveling  in  the  greatness  of 
his  strength?"     Hear,   0   heaven,  and  give   ear,  0 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  449 

earth!  for  the  glorious  personage  authoritatively  re- 
plies, "  I,  that  speak  in  righteousness,  and  am  mighty 
to  save."  This  naturally  leads  us  to  what  is  expressed 
in  the  text,— even  the  all-sufficiency  of  Christ's  power 
to  save  man  from  his  lost  and  ruined  condition— 
"mighty  to  save." 

II.  I  invite  you  now  to  reflect  upon  Christ's  power 
to  save  the  wretched  and  the  lost.  This  appears 
evident  if  we  consider  three  things :  His  preeminent 
qualifications  as  a  Savior,  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  salvation  which  He  accomplishes,  and  the  exam- 
ples of  His  saving  power  as  exhibited  in  the  Scrip- 
tures.    Let  us  notice : 

1.  That  His  qualifications  for  the  stupendous  work 
of  salvation  are  incomparable.  His  qualifications  are 
twofold — personal  and  official. 

Let  us  reflect  upon  His  personal  qualifications. 
"  Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness.  God  was  mani- 
fest in  the  flesh,"  in  order  "to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost."  God  and  man  have  been  united  to- 
gether in  His  person;  the  Son  of  God  has  become  the 
Son  of  Man ;  the  supreme  nature  in  heaven  and  the 
most  excellent  upon  earth  have  been  linked  together; 
for  what  purpose?  That  He  might  be  "mighty  to 
save."  Heaven  and  earth,  eternity  aud  time,  fini- 
tude  and  infinitude,  the  Creator  and  creature,  have 
been  inseparably  united  in  His  person.  He  must  be 
"  mighty  to  save. "  As  man,  He  was  capable  of  bleed- 
29 


450  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

ing  and  suffering ;  for  "  without  shedding  of  blood 
there  is  no  remission."  As  God,  He  was  sufficiently- 
able  to  sustain  the  tremendous  weight  of  divine  wrath 
— a  burden  which  would  have  unavoidably  crushed 
the  whole  human  race — nay,  the  whole  universe  of  in- 
telligences— had  it  come  in  contact  with  it,  to  the  very 
depths  of  hell.  As  man.  He  was  capable  of  dying  in 
our  room  and  stead ;  as  God,  He  was  able  to  impart 
infinite  value  and  merit  to  His  death.  As  man,  He 
entered  into  the  very  territories  of  death,  and  per- 
mitted "  the  king  of  terrors"  to  bind  Him  in  his  iron 
chains ;  as  God,  He  broke  them  asunder,  "  as  a  thread 
of  tow  is  broken  when  it  toucheth  the  fire,"  and  rose 
triumphantly,  having  deprived  the  governor  of  the 
prison  of  his  keys.  "  I  have  the  keys  [says  He]  of 
hell  and  of  death."     " Mighty  to  save!  " 

Let  us,  again,  briefly  observe  His  official  qualifica- 
tions. He  has  been  delegated,  authorized,  and  com- 
missioned to  save  by  the  supreme  Governor  of  the 
universe.  Hence  He  says  He  was  anointed  and 
"  sent  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  lib- 
erty to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to 
them  that  are  bound."  The  high  authority  of  God's 
exalted  throne  rests  with  Him.  Hence  the  salvation 
of  sinners  is  represented  under  the  emblem  "  of  a  pure 
river  of  water  of  life,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of 
God."  He  appeared  upon  earth  for  the  sublime  pur- 
pose of  destroying  the  works  of  the  devil ;  and  besides. 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  451 

He  has  accomplished  all  that  was  necessary  in  respect 
to  merit  in  order  to  save  us.  He  has  "magnified 
the  law,  and  made  it  honorable."  He  has  endured 
the  punishment  due  to  sin,  and  thereby  become  the 
propitiation  for  sin;  He  has  triumphed  over  man's 
spiritual  foes ;  He  "  hath  abolished  death" ;  and  He 
has  ascended  into  heaven  as  a  mighty  conqueror  to 
intercede  for  transgressors.  The  stupendous  work 
which  He  has  already  accomplished,  as  preparatory 
to  our  salvation,  is  decisive  evidence  to  the  whole 
universe  of  intelligences  that  He  is  "mighty  to  save." 
Devils  have  grievously  realized  the  vastness  of  His 
overcoming  power;  angels  have  been  witnesses  of  the 
exceeding  greatness  of  His  redeeming  power;  and 
God  the  Father  exultingly  glorifies  in  the  ever- 
glorious  manifestations  of  His  saving  power,  saying, 
"I  have  laid  their  help  upon  one  that  is  mighty." 

2.  The  nature  and  extent  of  the  salvation  effected 
by  Him  constitute  an  indisputable  evidence  of  His 
mightiness  to  save.  He  is  mighty  to  save,  in  the  first 
place,  from  the  curse  of  the  law.  "Christ  hath 
redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law."  Infinite 
power  is  embodied  in  God's  curse.  It  was  sufficiently 
mighty  to  hurl  legions  of  angels  from  the  heights  of 
celestial  happiness,  and  plunge  them  into  the  lowest 
depths  of  miserj-.  It  was  powerful  enough  to  open 
the  windows  of  heaven  with  one  hand,  so  to  speak, 
and  with  the  other  to  burst  asunder  the  fountains  of 


452  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

the  great  deep  in  order  to  drown  a  world  of  rebellious 
men  with  an  overflowing  deluge.  It  is  so  mighty  as 
to  be  capable  of  inflicting  irreparable  destruction  in 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye  upon  all  the  hosts  of  obsti- 
nate rebels  throughout  the  vast  dominions  of  God. 
However,  when  its  fiery  cloud  burst  upon  the  head  of 
the  Savior,  it  came  in  contact  with  its  superior,  inas- 
much as  its  devouring  flames  were  extinguished  by 
His  blood;  and  His  ofl&ce  now  is  to  save  sinners  as 
brands  plucked  from  the  burning.  Again,  He  is 
mighty  to  save  from  the  dominion,  pollution,  and  de- 
filement of  sin.  He  does  save  not  only  from  the 
guilt  of  sin,  but  also  from  the  reigning  power  and 
contaminating  influence  of  sin.  The  strength  of 
man's  corruption  is  terrific;  hence  it  is  called  "the 
law  of  sin  and  death."  Its  power  is  utterly  invinci- 
ble to  all  human  effort  and  skill.  Sin  is  stronger 
than  the  energetic  and  persuasive  powers  of  reason; 
stronger  than  the  agonizing  pangs  of  a  guilty  con- 
science; stronger  than  the  potent  ties  of  the  most 
endeared  friendship;  stronger  than  the  forcible  re- 
straints of  scientific  knowledge;  stronger  than  the 
prevailing  edicts  of  earthly  potentates, — nay,  it  has 
survived  the  most  horrible  and  desolating  judgments 
of  Jehovah  Himself.  It  enfetters  men  in  its  iron 
chains  in  spite  of  the  light  of  reason ;  in  spite  of  alj 
the  accusations  of  conscience;  in  spite  of  the  bitter 
tears  of  dearest  friends  and  relatives  j  in  spite  of  re- 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  453 

spectability  aud  renown— in  spite  of  the  ameliorating 
efforts  of  philosophers  and  the  rapid  advancement 
of  science ;  in  spite  of  the  resolute  enactments  of  civil 
governments,— yea,  in  spite  of  the  frowns  and  inflic- 
tions of  the  divine  government.  My  fellow  sinner, 
beware  of  the  delusive  and  destructive  power  of  sin, 
or  it  will  drag  you  downward  to  the  bottomless  pit 
from  the  midst  of  all  your  earthly  comforts.  But 
who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom?  "  His  name  is 
Jesus;  ah!  He  is  mightier  than  sin,  for  He  saves 
His  people  from  their  sins."  "Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest;  on  earth,  peace,  good  will  toward  men." 
"  Our  Redeemer  is  strong,  the  Lord  of  Hosts  is  his 
name." 

Also  He  is  mighty  to  save  from  the  power  and 
malice  of  Satan.  In  reference  to  this,  the  inspired 
Apostle  says  of  himself  and  his  brethren,  "  Who  hath 
delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath 
translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son." 
Satan  is  represented  under  the  different  emblems  of 
"  a  strong  man  armed, "  and  "  a  roaring  lion. "  As  "  a 
strong  man  armed,"  he  watchfully  and  diligent'y 
"  keepeth  his  palace"  in  the  heart  of  the  unregenerate 
man;  but,  blessed  be  God!  Jesus  is  stronger  than  he. 
He  comes  upon  him  in  the  chariot  of  the  Gospel; 
storms  the  palace  with  the  cannons  of  conviction; 
overpowers  the  tyrant;  drives  out  the  usurper;  di- 
vides his  spoils,   and  then  takes  possession  of  the 


454  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

mansion,  so  that  liencefortli  He  dwells  therein  by 
His  Spirit. 

Again,  He  is  mighty  to  save  from  the  sting  of  death 
— the  power  of  the  grave  and  the  wrath  to  come. 
Death  is  a  mighty  conqueror.  He  is  not  only  "  the 
king  of  terrors,"  but  the  terror  of  kings.  He  has 
irresistibly  driven  the  most  powerful  potentates  that 
ever  flourished  from  their  royal  palaces  into  the 
small,  cold,  and  dismal  *'  house  appointed  for  all  liv- 
ing." He  }i?:3  easily  triumphed  over  the  most  re- 
nowned conquerors  that  ever  displayed  their  skill  on 
the  field  of  battle.  The  most  robust  giants  that  ever 
signalized  themselves  by  their  undaunted  courage  and 
strength  have  crumbled  to  dust  in  his  mighty  and 
chilly  hands.  Besides,  he  has  a  poisonous  sting 
with  which  he  envenoms  the  soul  to  irretrievable  de- 
struction. And  the  grave  is  the  strong  prison  in 
which  he  incarcerates  the  human  family.  There  they 
are,  as  it  were,  securely  deposited  and  locked  up, 
bound  in  the  chains  of  mortality ;  while  the  power  of 
God's  anger  is  sufficient  to  consume  all  the  sources  of 
the  soul's  comfort,  and  cause  it  to  weep  and  lament 
throughout  the  untold  ages  of  eternity. 

But,  listen !  a  greater  than  death  and  the  grave  is 
here.  Here  also  is  one  whose  atonement  is  an  ample 
refuge  from  the  destructive  storm  of  divine  wrath. 
He  has  gloriously  triumphed  over  the  former,  and 
has  completely  appeased  the  fury  of  the  latter.     He 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  455 

loudly  exclaims  in  reference  to  His  poople,  "I  will 
ransom  them  from  the  power  of  the  grave,  I  will  re- 
deem them  from  death."  0  death!  I  will  be  thy 
plague;  0  grave!  I  Avill  be  thy  destruction.  Let  us 
address  Him  in  the  forcible  language  of  the  poet  : 

"Death  of  death  and  hell's  destruction, 

Land  me  safe  on  Canaan's  shore  ; 
Songs  of  praises  I  will  ever  give  to  Thee." 

Finally,  on  this  part  of  the  subject,  the  salvation 
Avhich  He  effects  for  believers  includes  the  elevation 
of  the  soul  into  the  full  and  eternal  enjoyment  of  heav- 
enly bliss  and  glory ;  the  resurrection  of  the  body  from 
the  tomb  of  mortality;  and  their  united  glorifica- 
tion in  the  mansions  of  immortality  and  joy.  "  Who 
shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned 
like  unto  his  glorious  body,  according  to  the  work- 
ing,"— or,  as  the  Welsh  version  renders  it,  "the 
mighty  working," — "whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all 
things  unto  himself?  " 

3.  Let  us  notice  the  examples  of  His  saving  power 
as  exhibited  in  the  Scriptures.  We  arrange  them 
under  three  classes :  sinners  of  all  ranks  and  stations ; 
sinners  of  all  character  and  description ;  sinners  in  all 
circumstances  and  emergencies. 

He  has  saved  sinners  of  all  ranks  and  stations. 
We  mention  one  instance  of  each  kind.  He  has  saved 
a  king — David,  the  king  of  Israel.     He  has  saved  a 


456  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

prince — Abijah,  the  son  of  Jeroboam.  He  has  saved 
a  prime  minister — Daniel,  in  the  Chaldean  court.  He 
has  saved  a  member  of  Congress — Nicodemus.  He 
has  saved  an  attorney-at-law — Zenas.  He  has  saved 
a  physician — Luke.  He  has  saved  a  collegian — Saul 
of  Tarsus.  He  has  saved  a  tax-collector — Matthew. 
He  has  saved  a  jailor — the  one  in  Philippi.  He  has 
saved  an  unfaithful  ser vant — Onesimus.  He  has  saved 
a  beggar — Lazarus.     "  Mighty  to  save!  " 

He  has  saved  sinners  of  every  character.  He  has 
saved  an  idolater — Manasseh.  He  has  saved  a  volup- 
tuary— Solomon.  He  has  saved  a  worldling — Zac- 
eheus.  He  has  saved  a  backslider — Thomas.  He 
has  saved  a  thief — the  one  on  the  cross.  He  has 
saved  murderers — yea,  even  His  own  murderers.  His 
blood  was  sufficiently  eificacious  to  wash  away  the 
stains  of  guilt  stamped  on  their  consciences,  by  shed- 
ding His  innocent  blood.  And  just  notice  the  de- 
scription of  the  atrocious  characters  whom  He  saved 
at  Corinth :  Fornicators,  idolaters,  thieves,  coveters, 
drunkards,  revilers,  extortioners ;  "  and  such  were 
some  of  you;  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified, 
but  ye  are  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  spirit  of  our  God."     "  Mighty  to  save." 

He  is  mighty  to  save  in  all  emergencies  and  circum- 
stances. He  saved  Thomas  from  the  powerful  grasp 
of  unbelief.  He  saved  Solomon  from  the  enchanting 
delusion  of  carnal  pleasure.     He  saved  Daniel  from 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  457 

the  rage  of  ferocious  beasts.  He  saved  the  disciples 
from  the  fury  of  the  waves  of  the  sea.  He  saved  the 
thief  on  the  cross  from  the  very  jaws  of  destruction, 
and  snatched  his  soul  into  paradise  as  a  trophy  of  His 
victory  over  the  powers  of  darkness.  In  short,  the 
immensity  of  His  power  to  save  will  not  be  fully  de- 
veloped until  the  unnumbered  multitudes  of  the  re- 
deemed shall  be  exhibited  to  the  universe  of  intelli- 
gences at  the  final  day. 

What  is  needful  in  order  to  realize  the  power  of  the 
mighty  Savior  in  the  church?  I  address  my  answer 
to  those  who  are  or  hope  to  be  in  the  sacred  office 
of  the  ministry.  Preach,  brethren,  Christ  Jesus  the 
Lord,  to  the  absolute  exclusion  of  all  subjects  not 
directly  connected  with  Him.  Some  of  you  delight 
in  the  acquisition  of  the  classic  and  Biblical  tongues. 
Place  your  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus,  and  not  over  His  head  as  Pilate  did.  Some  of 
you  may  derive  pleasure,  and  rightly,  from  the  study 
of  philosophy  and  science;  but  remember  that  the 
highest  philosophy  in  God's  universe  is  the  philosophy 
of  the  plan  of  salvation,  and  the  most  elevated  of  the 
sciences,  the  science  of  the  saving  truth  of  Christi- 
anity. Some  of  you  may  feel  inclined  to  study  the 
nature  and  design  of  miracles  in  connection  with  the 
introduction  of  Christianity ;  but  bear  in  mind,  as  you 
do  so,  that  miracles  wrought  in  the  material  world 
were  only  preludes  and  faint  emblems  of  higher  and 


458  CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR. 

more  wonderful  exhibitions  of  divine  power  in  the 
moral  and  spiritual  world.  Our  Lord,  in  presenting 
the  evidences  of  His  Messiahship  to  the  disciples  of 
John  the  Baptist,  referred  them  to  the  evangelization 
of  the  poor  as  the  climax  of  all  His  miracles:  "And 
the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  unto  them, " — or, 
rather,  "  the  poor  are  evangelized. "  It  was  a  greater 
miracle  to  cure  the  spiritual  malady  of  the  poor  than 
to  cure  even  leprosy.  It  was  a  more  decisive  proof 
of  Christ's  power  to  raise  those  unto  life  who  were 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  than  to  restore  men  to 
life  from  the  iron  grasp  of  mortality.  To  change  a 
devil,  as  it  were,  in  enmity,  into  an  angel  in  love,  is 
the  most  wonderful  miracle  that  God  ever  wrought. 
Would  you  then,  my  brethren,  become  instruments 
for  the  performance  of  greater  works  than  the  Lord 
Jesus  wrought  during  His  human  life?  Preach  the 
mighty  Savior!  Make,  not  the  system  of  Christian- 
ity, but  the  personal  Christ,  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
of  your  utterances.  Christianity  is  only  the  casket; 
Christ  is  the  diamond  deposited  therein.  Christian- 
ity is  only  the  garden ;  Christ  is  the  tree  of  life  in  the 
midst  of  the  Paradise  of  God.  Christianity  is  only 
the  sanctuary;  Christ  is  the  Shekinah  which  sheds 
luster  upon  all  its  furniture.  Christianity  is  only  the 
temple;  Christ  is  the  great  High  Priest  officiating 
therein.  Christianity  is  only  the  body ;  Christ  is  the 
directing,  life-giving  Head.     Preach,  then,  Christ — in 


CHRIST  THE  MIGHTY  SAVIOR.  459 

the  majesty  of  His  person — in  the  greatness  of  His 
love — in  the  purity  of  His  doctrine — in  His  mighty 
power  to  save  unto  the  uttermost. 

You  who  are  without  Christ,  what  is  necessary  in 
order  that  you  may  realize  in  your  souls  the  saving 
power  of  Christ?  You  must  become  conscious  of  your 
lost  and  perishing  condition.  You  must  renounce  all 
confidence  in  human  merit,  and  surrender  yourselves 
as  hell-deserving  sinners  to  Christ's  care  and  custody. 
Come,  then,  to  the  mighty  Savior ;  for  His  promise  is, 
"  Him  that  cometh  unto  Me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out."  May  God  grant  you  a  heart  to  believe  in 
Him,  being  *'  fully  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep 
that  which  is  committed  unto  him  against  that  day." 
Amen. 


THE  INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN 
IN  THIS  WORLD. 

By  Rev.  William  C.  Roberts,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  S.T.D., 

President  Centre  College,  Danville, 

Kentucky. 

"This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord." — Isa. 
liv.  17. 

Whatever  may  be  the  condition  of  believers  on 
earth,  they  occupy  an  enviable  position  on  the  sacred 
page.  There  they  are  called  "the  servants  of  the 
Lord,"  "the  children  of  the  Most  High,"  "heirs  of 
eternal  life." 

Some  one  may  say  that  there  is  no  honor  in  being 
a  "  servant. "  That  depends  upon  who  the  master  is. 
If  he  be  sin,  Satan,  or  the  world,  the  allegation  is 
true.  But  the  master  of  believers  is  not  sin,  Satan, 
or  the  world,  but  the  Creator  of  all  things,  the  King 
of  kings,  the  God  over  all  blessed  forever.  Even  the 
relation  of  servant  to  one  so  exalted  must  add  honor 
and  dignity  to  every  one  who  holds  it. 

But  the  word  "heritage"  in  the  text  shows  that 
the  persons  here  called  servants  are  not  those  who 
ordinarily  pass  under  that  designation.  For  a  heri- 
tage is  not  the  wages  of  a  servant,  but  property,  real 

460 


INHERITANCE  OF  OOD'S  CHILDREN.      461 

or  personal— sometimes  both— which  goes  down  ac- 
cording to  law  even  without  a  will  or  an  agreement 
from  father  to  son.  The  only  ground  of  this,  the 
transmission,  is  the  relation  existing  between  the  two 

parties. 

To  a  cursory  reader,  this  may  appear  like  a  confu- 
sion of  ideas.  For  the  question  arises,  How  can  men 
be  children  and  servants  at  the  same  time?  Paul 
explains  the  mystery  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians, 
where  he  declares  that  the  son  differs  in  no  respect 
from  the  servant  so  long  as  he  remains  under  age. 
Hence  "the  servants  of  the  Lord,"  in  the  text,  are 
God's  children  under  age.  In  other  words,  they  are 
God's  childi-en  in  this  world. 

The  subject  to  which  I  invite  your  attention  is  The 
Inheritance  of  God's  Children  in  This  World.  We  are 
so  dazzled  by  the  glowing  descriptions  the  Bible  gives 
of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  that  we  lose  sight  of 
that  part  of  it  vouchsafed  them  on  earth.  The  mo- 
ment the  word  "  inheritance  "  is  uttered,  we  think  of 
the  glorious  mansions,  the  glittering  robes,  and  -the 
eternal  crown.  It  would  be  well  for  all  of  us  to  dwell 
more  on  that  part  of  the  inheritance  enjoyed  on  earth, 
lest  we  may  fall  into  the  error  of  many  rich  men's 
sons,  of  thinking  only  of  the  millions  that  are  to  come 
by  and  by.  In  the  wonderful  chapter  in  which  the 
text  is  recorded,  Isaiah  sets  forth  a  number  of  the 
blessings  bestowed  upon  the  chui-ch  on  earth.     What 


462      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

is  bestowed  upon  her  as  the  mystic  body  of  Christ  is 
granted  to  every  one  of  her  members.  Among  these 
we  may  notice : 

First,  God's  promises.  The  54th  chapter  of  Isaiah 
is  full  of  His  promises.  Paul  tells  us  that  the  prom- 
ises of  the  New  Testament  are  many  and  precious. 
The  pages  of  Scripture,  like  the  sky  of  Syria,  are 
studded  with  stars  of  promise.  They  are  found 
singly,  in  groups,  and  in  vast  constellations.  There 
is  not  a  book  without  a  bow  of  promise,  spanning  the 
space  intervening  between  the  believer's  birth  into 
God's  family  and  his  entrance  into  his  Father's  house 
in  heaven.  There  is  scarcely  a  chapter  in  the  Old 
Testament  or  the  New  without  its  honeycomb  of 
promises  sweeter  than  that  of  Jonathan;  and  the 
pilgrim  has  only  to  dip  into  its  richness  the  tip  of  his 
staff  and  put  it  on  his  tongue  to  drive  away  all  the 
weariness  of  his  journey. 

The  number  of  these  promises  is  said  to  be  thirty- 
two  thousand ;  that  is,  one  hundred  for  every  working 
day,  or  ten  for  every  working  hour.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  of  a  child  of  God  placed  in  circumstances 
which  demand  more  than  ten  of  these  promises  every 
hour! 

The  promises  are  not  only  numerous,  but  precious 
also — a  combination  rarely  found  on  earth.  The 
pebbles  on  the  seashore  are  numerous,  but  not  pre- 
cious.    A  ton  of  them  can  be  bought  for  a  few  cents. 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN.      463 

The  diamonds  and  the  pearls  in  the  jeweler's  shop 
are  precious,  but  they  are  not  numerous.  It  some- 
times takes  a  fortune  to  purchase  one  of  these.  But 
in  God's  redemptive  plan  He  makes  extremes  meet, 
and  apparent  impossibilities  easy.  In  it  we  find 
thirty-two  thousand  promises,  and  each  one  more 
valuable  than  the  Kohiuoor  of  Queen  Victoria.  If  you 
doubt  this,  ask  the  dying  man  which  he  would  prefer, 
as  he  sinks  into  the  darkness  of  death :  the  royal  gem, 
or  the  precious  promise  "  that  the  everlasting  arms 
shall  be  underneath  him. " 

God' s  promises  are  adapted  to  all  our  needs.  They 
are  nearly  all  intended  for  struggling  believers  on 
earth,  and  not  for  glorified  saints  in  heaven.  They 
are  suited  mainly  to  fallen  men  and  not  to  unfallen 
angels.  If  I  were  permitted  to  proclaim  the  promises 
of  God  iu  heaven,  it  would  produce  no  special  joy 
there,  because  they  would  not  be  suited  to  the  needs 
of  the  inhabitants.  If  I  were  to  assure  them  that 
God  had  promised  to  blot  out  as  a  cloud  their  trans- 
gressions, they  would  instantly  reply,  "  No  clouds  have 
ever  cast  their  shadows  here. "  If  I  were  to  offer  them 
the  whole  panoply  of  the  Gospel,  they  would  tell  me 
that  no  deadly  missiles  were  ever  allowed  to  be 
hurled  across  the  heavenly  plains.  If  I  in  God's 
name  were  to  present  them  with  shoes  made  of  iron 
and  brass,  they  would  inform  me  that  there  was  noth- 
ing to  lacerate  the  feet  of  those  who  walk  on  the 


464      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

golden  streets.  If  I  were  to  proclaim  to  them  the 
promise  that  God  will  make  the  bed  of  His  people  in 
sickness,  they  would  tell  me  that  no  one  in  heaven 
ever  says,  "I  am  sick."  "While  thus  unsuited  to 
the  inhabitants  of  heaven,  all  the  promises  of  Scrip- 
ture are  infinitely  precious  to  believers  on  earth.  No 
assurance  can  be  better  adapted  to  their  condition 
than  that  of  the  forgiveness  of  sius,  for  these  are  the 
bane  and  cause  of  all  their  sorrow.  No  offer  can  fill 
their  heart  with  greater  delight  than  that  of  a  shield 
and  buckler  to  protect  them  against  the  deadly  weap- 
ons of  the  enemy.  No  promise  can  be  more  precious 
than  that  of  shoes  to  protect  their  feet  as  pilgrims 
in  the  world' s  desert  paths  or  that  of  making  their  bed 
in  sickness. 

The  promises  of  God,  moreover,  are  convertible  at 
every  turn  in  our  earthly  journey.  Precious  as  each 
and  every  one  of  these  promises  is,  it  is  only  a  promise 
after  all,  and  of  no  value  except  as  it  may  be  redeemed 
or  exchanged  for  the  substance  when  needed.  The 
best  notes  of  the  Bank  of  England,  or  of  the  United 
States  treasury,  are  of  no  value,  except  as  these  in- 
stitutions are  able  and  willing  to  redeem  them.  I 
have  traveled  over  a  large  part  of  the  world  with 
naught  in  my  pocket  save  a  handful  of  promises  made 
by  a  banking-house  in  New  York  City.  With  these, 
and  these  alone,  I  have  been  able  to  meet  every  de- 
mand made   upon   me   on   land   and   sea.     When  I 


INHERITANCE  OF  OOD'S  CHILDREN.      466 

reached  England,  I  had  only  to  offer  one  of  them  to  a 
bond-teller  in  order  to  obtain  pounds,  shillings,  and 
pence  with  which  to  pay  my  railroad  fare  ami  hotel 
expenses.  When  I  reached  the  shores  of  France, 
other  promises  were  as  readily  converted  into  francs 
and  napoleons — the  substance  I  needed  there  to  meet 
the  demands  made  upon  me.  The  same  plan  was 
pursued  in  Italy,  Turkey,  and  other  lands.  All  that 
travelers  to  the  ]*aradise  above  have  to  do  is  to  pre- 
sent at  the  exchequer  of  Heaven  the  promises  of  Scrip- 
ture in  order  to  obtain  what  is  needed  for  their 
journey.  It  is  a  disgrace  to  us  to  be  constantly  com- 
plaining of  our  leanness,  when  we  may  be  fat  and 
flourishing  if  we  only  take  pains  to  convert  the  prom- 
ises of  God  into  substance. 

The  second  element  of  the  heritage  of  God's  chil- 
dren in  this  world  is  a  divinely  arranged  plan  for  their 
life.  No  doubt  can  be  entertained  that  the  church 
as  a  whole  has  been  directed  of  God  in  all  her  move- 
ments through  the  ages.  Since  the  church  is  made 
up  of  individuals,  each  one  of  these  in  like  manner 
is  guided  in  all  his  movements.  This  is  suggested  in 
the  idea  underlying  the  word  "servant."  Every 
wise  master  lays  out  the  work  of  his  servants  and 
directs  their  actions.  Much  more  do  parents  study 
the  pecvdiarities  and  guide  the  movements  of  their 
children  under  age.  God,  as  our  Lord  and  Father, 
is  doing  the  same  thing.  All  believers  have  been 
30 


466      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

more  or  less  conscious  of  the  existence  of  some 
invisible  power  directing  their  steps.  Abraham  and 
Joseph,  Moses  and  Samuel  had  a  sense  of  some 
mysterious  girding  of  God  upon  them.  Even  Christ 
had  a  sense  of  the  same  thing,  for  He  says,  "  For  this 
end  was  I  born."  To  a  greater  or  less  degree  all  of 
us  have  at  times  felt  that  we  were  under  the  direction 
of  an  invisible  power  not  subject  to  our  own  will. 

This  is  also  historically  true  of  even  all  men  in 
early  life.  Were  any  of  you  asked  by  the  Author  of 
your  being  where  you  would  like  to  be  born — in  Eu- 
rope or  America;  had  you  any  choice  as  to  whether 
you  should  be  born  white  or  black,  Protestant  or 
Catholic,  heathen  or  Christian ;  or  were  you  consulted 
regarding  the  moral  and  religious  influences  which 
should  mold  your  youth  and  early  manhood?  Until 
you  reached  your  teens,  you  had  but  little  to  do  witlj 
your  physical,  moral,  or  religious  development.  Yet, 
in  all  this  Divine  superintendence  your  personal  re- 
sponsibility was  not  destroyed  or  set  aside. 

It  is,  moreover,  true  that  God  directs  the  movements 
of  His  people  in  after-life  when  they  fancy  that  they 
themselves  are  doing  it.  He  is  in  and  behind,  above 
and  below  them.  All  of  you  have  seen  a  father  pla- 
cing his  little  boy  between  his  knees  in  a  carriage  and 
allowing  him  to  put  his  hands  on  the  reins.  The 
child  believed  that  he  was  guiding  the  fiery  steed 
through  the  crowded  streets.     He  looked  around  to 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN.       467 

see  if  any  of  his  compauions  were  within  sight  wit- 
nessing his  wondrous  feat.  All  save  himself  knew 
that  not  his  tiny  hands,  but  the  strong  arms  of  his 
father  were  guiding  the  chariot.  The  same  thing  is 
often  witnessed  in  the  life  of  the  Christian.  He 
fancies  that  he  is  guiding  his  own  steps  and  shaping 
his  own  future  destiny,  while  in  fact  God's  hand  is 
doing  it  for  him.  Every  one  should  be  glad  that  it  is 
so.     His  constant  song  should  be — 

"  My  times  are  in  Thy  hand  ; 
My  God,  I  wish  them  there." 

The  third  element  of  the  inheritance  of  God's  chil- 
dren on  earth  are  the  principles  needed  to  transform 
them  from  apparent  servants  to  real  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. It  is  frequently  alleged  that  there  is  no  dif- 
ference between  those  who  are  called  God's  children 
on  earth  and  those  who  are  not.  There  is  much  truth 
in  this.  AVe  readily  confess  that  the  outward  conduct 
of  the  Christian  iu  society  and  in  the  world  does  not 
always  differ  from  that  of  the  man  of  the  world.  But 
there  is  nothing  strange  or  discouraging  in  this.  The 
difference  between  the  sou  and  the  servant  is  not  always 
discernible.  When  you  are  waited  upon  in  one  of  the 
great  shops  in  the  city,  you  do  not  know  whether  the 
salesman  is  a  son  or  a  servant.  There  is  nothing  in  his 
personal  appearance,  dress,  or  manners  to  distinguish 
him.     If  you  have  a  special  reason,  however,  for  as- 


468      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

certaining  which  he  is,  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  do  so 
without  asking  him.  A  knowledge  of  the  principles 
which  governed  his  conduct,  or  the  place  in  which  he 
made  his  home,  would  tell  the  story. 

The  first  principle  governing  the  conduct  of  both  is 
obedience.  The  servant  obeys  the  commands  of  his 
master  because  he  knows  that  he  can  retain  his  place 
only  by  so  doing.  But  the  principle  which  prompts 
him  to  do  it  is  mercenary,  selfish.  It  is  his  own 
good,  and  not  the  interest  of  his  master,  that  is  upper- 
most in  his  mind  in  shaping  his  conduct.  The  same 
thing  is  true  of  the  multitudes  who  are  not  God's 
children.  They  obey  the  natural  and  moral  laws  of 
God  because  it  is  to  their  advantage  to  do  so.  The 
principle  which  governs  their  conduct  is  self-interest, 
and  not  God's  glory.  That  is  not  the  case  with  God's 
children.  They  obey  because  they  have  given  their 
love  for  the  One  who  commands.  The  governing 
principle  is  the  Father's  interest. 

The  second  principle  of  conduct  is  faith  in  the  mas- 
ter. The  servant  is  satisfied  that  he  is  able  and  will- 
ing to  pay  him  the  stipulated  wages.  The  moment 
he  entertains  any  doubt  regarding  that  he  will  seek  em- 
ployment of  another.  He  knows,  too,  that  the  courts 
are  ready  to  enforce  his  claims.  The  son  is  not  so 
much  concerned  about  his  father's  ability  to  pay  his 
wages.  Indeed,  he  may  not  have  agreed  on  any  defi- 
nite amount  as  his  compensation.     But  he  toils  all  the 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN.      469 

same,  knowing  that  in  time  his  father  will  fully  re- 
ward him. 

God  does  not  reveal  to  His  children  in  this  world 
what  compensation  they  are  to  have.  He  gives  unto 
them  faith  as  to  substance  of  things  hoped  for.  Oc- 
casionally, He  lifts  the  veil  and  lets  them  see  some 
of  the  things  themselves,  but  not  often.  In  the  con- 
text Isaiah  compares  this  faith  to  "agate  windows." 
Agate  is  a  translucent,  not  a  transparent,  substance. 
When  an  opaque  body  is  held  up  behind  it,  only  its 
outlines,  its  prominent  features,  not  its  beauties  of 
form,  shade,  or  color,  are  seen.  It  is  so  with  celestial 
things.  God' s  children  in  this  world  see  only  through 
a  glass  darkly.  The  bare  outlines  only  are  visible  to 
the  eye  of  faith— the  beauties  of  form,  shade,  and  color 
are  not  seen.  It  is  to  our  advantage  to  have  it  so. 
For,  if  our  faith  were  transparent,  allowing  us  to  be- 
hold the  King  in  his  beauty  and  the  land  that  is  afar 
off,  permitting  us  to  detect  in  the  great  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses the  loved  faces  of  father,  mother,  husband,  wife, 
or  child,  it  would  destroy  all  desire  to  live  on  earth. 
Not  only  our  hearts  and  our  affections,  but  our  eyes 
also  would  be  constantly  fixed  on  things  above.  Earth 
would  lose  all  its  attractions  for  us. 

The  third  principle  of  conduct  is  hope  of  future 
favors.  The  servant,  when  he  knows  that  he  has  been 
faithful,  looks  for  some  recognition  of  it  in  the  last 
will  and  testament  of  his  master.     This  kind  of  hope, 


470      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

however,  usually  turns  out  to  be  a  spider's  web.  But 
that  of  the  son  is  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul  both  sure 
and  stedfast.  The  hope  of  God's  children  is  as  sure 
as  the  word  of  Him  who  can  not  lie. 

If  it  should  be  impracticable  to  distinguish  the  son 
from  the  servant  by  the  principles  which  govern  their 
conduct,  it  can  be  done  by  following  them  at  the  end 
of  the  day  to  their  respective  homes.  The  servant 
goes  to  his  own  in  some  quiet  street,  or  a  suburb  of 
the  city;  the  son  goes  to  his  father's  house,  in  which 
he  is  permitted  to  occupy  an  expensive  apartment. 
When  God's  children  are  done  with  earth,  they  are 
allowed  to  enter  the  mansions  prepared  for  them  in 
their  Father's  house  above.  The  whole  palace  of  the 
great  King  is  theirs,  tho  each  may  have  a  separate 
mansion. 

The  fourth  element  of  the  heritage  of  God's  chil- 
dren is  assured  victory  over  all  their  spiritual  enemies : 
"No  weapon  formed  against  them  shall  prosper." 
God's  children  have  multitudes  of  foes.  They  are 
within  as  well  as  without.  The  two  sometimes  unite 
for  deadly  assaults.  These  are  set  forth  in  Scripture 
as  three  army  detachments,  viz. :  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil. 

For  the  encouragement  of  coming  generations  ex- 
amples are  given  of  a  few  who  gained  the  victory  over 
each  of  these  detachments.  The  example  of  victory 
over  the  world  is  that  of  Lot.     So  long  as  he  accom- 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN      471 

panied  his  illustrious  uncle  in  his  nomadic  life,  he 
was  safe.  The  world  had  but  little  power  over  him 
while  he  was  bent  on  reaching  Canaan.  The  tent, 
the  altar,  and  the  glittering  stars  kept  his  eyes  fixed 
on  things  above  and  beyond.  But  just  as  soon  as  he 
cast  his  eyes  on  the  cities  of  the  plain,  he  began  to 
waver.  He  was  dazzled  by  their  glare  and  glitter. 
He  became  convinced  that  better  alliances  could  be 
secured  there  for  his  daughters  than  in  the  towns  of 
Palestine.  He  bade  farewell  to  his  pious  kinsman 
and  fixed  his  abode  in  the  cities  of  the  plain.  There, 
in  a  few  years,  he  was  lost  to  all  that  was  high  and 
holy.  So  far  was  he  reduced  under  the  world's  power 
that  his  sons-in-law  laughed  at  the  modest  claims  to 
godliness  he  put  forth.  It  might  have  been  said, 
perhaps  it  was  said,  of  him  just  there  that  the  world's 
weapon  had  prospered  against  him.  But,  no;  God 
proved  true  to  His  promise.  When  He  destroyed  the 
cities  of  the  plain  for  their  ungodliness  He  remem- 
bered Lot.  Angels  were  commissioned  to  lead  him 
out.  He  was  saved  as  by  fire  and  permitted  to  be- 
hold without  personal  injury  all  that  remained  of 
worldly  glory  ascending  as  smoke  to  heaven. 

The  example  of  the  way  God  gives  victory  to  His 
people  over  the  flesh  is  that  of  David.  This  detach- 
ment of  Satan's  army  has  had  its  numerous  victims  in 
every  age  of  the  world.  In  an  unguarded  moment 
the  King  of  Israel  was  prostrated  upon  the  field.     He 


472      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

committed  adultery,  which  alas!  ended  in  murder. 
As  a  result  his  heart  grew  hard  and  his  love  for  God 
cold.  He  spent  some  time  in  a  state  of  spiritual 
alienation  and  indifference  to  heavenly  things.  It 
seemed  for  a  year  or  more  as  tho  "  the  weapon  formed 
against  him"  had  prospered.  But  now  and  then  he 
gave  slight  evidences  of  spiritual  life  in  occasional  ex- 
clamations of  regret  for  the  past,  such  as :  "I  went 
with  the  multitude  that  kept  holyday."  Later,  the 
tears  of  penitence  trickled  down  the  face  and  the 
breathings  of  prayer  ascended  to  heaven.  Presently, 
he  was  seen  repairing  his  silent  harp,  and  readjusting 
its  broken  strings.  This  was  followed  by  the  ringing 
of  the  palace  chambers  with  the  words :  "  Bless  the 
Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  benefits  who 
forgivest  all  thine  iniquities."  But,  David,  thine  in- 
iquities have  been  too  great  to  be  forgiven :  "  Who 
forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities."  Here  God  fulfils  His 
gracious  promise  that  "  no  weapon  formed  against  him 
should  prosper." 

The  example  given  as  of  one  rescued  from  the  direct 
power  of  Satan  is  that  of  Job.  He  seemed  to  have 
been  put  by  God  under  the  complete  power  of  Satan. 
By  him  he  was  bereaved  of  his  children,  deprived  of  his 
property,  and  deserted  by  his  wife.  No  sight  could 
be  more  pitiable  than  that  of  the  old  patriarch  strug- 
gling on  the  dunghill  to  reconcile  the  inequalities  of 
divine  Providence.      With  every  round  of  discussion 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN.      473 

with  his  friends,  he  seemed  to  be  sinking  deeper  and 
deeper  into  a  fathomless  sea.  It  seemed  as  tho  one 
wave  after  another  left  him  lower  and  more  helpless 
than  before.  But,  despite  his  feelings  of  despair,  he, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  19th  chapter,  catches  the  light 
of  God's  countenance  and  cries,  "  I  know  that  my  Re- 
deemer liveth."  Rising  above  the  mysteries  around 
him  and  sweeping  the  whole  horizon  of  time,  he  sees 
the  land  that  is  afar  off.  He  triumphs  gloriously  at 
last.  The  weapon  formed  against  him  was  not  al- 
lowed to  prosper. 

God's  people  in  our  day  have  the  same  assurance. 
Their  enemies  are  just  as  numerous  and  just  as  strong 
as  those  of  Lot,  David,  and  Job.  Many  still  fall 
victims  to  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  Every- 
where we  find  believers  prostrated  upon  the  field,  but 
everywhere  we  find  also  proofs  of  the  blessed  promise, 
"No  weapon  formed  against  them  shall  prosper." 
Those  threatened  on  the  plains  of  worldly  glory  must 
yet  be  rescued  by  angels ;  those  prostrated  under  the 
deadly  weapons  of  the  flesh  must  once  more  tune  the 
golden  harp,  and  those  cast  upon  the  dunghill  by  the 
great  enemy  of  souls  will  some  day  cry,  *'  I  know 
that  my  Redeemer  liveth." 

The  fifth  element  of  the  heritage  of  God's  children 
in  this  world  is  "  the  everlasting  covenant "  :  "  Tho 
the  mountains  shall  depart  and  the  hills  be  removed, 
my  kindness  shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall 


474      INHERITANCE   OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

the  covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed."  To  make 
everything  sure  here,  the  Lord  casts  around  His  peo- 
ple the  arms  of  His  love.  He  voluntarily  enters  into 
a  solemn  covenant  with  them,  which  is  said  to  be  a 
better  covenant  than  that  entered  into  by  our  first 
parent.  The  one  who  represented  us  in  the  first 
covenant  was  a  fallible,  but  sinless  man ;  the  one  who 
represented  us  in  this  covenant  is  God  in  the  flesh, 
who  is  infinitely  holy,  just,  and  true.  The  bless- 
ings promised  in  the  first  covenant  were  for  the  most 
part  earthly;  those  promised  in  the  new  covenant 
are  heavenly  and  eternal.  The  rewards  promised 
in  the  first  covenant  were  human  and  finite;  those 
promised  in  the  second  are  divine  and  endless  in 
duration. 

We,  alas!  do  not  attach  as  much  importance  to 
God's  covenant  as  our  fathers  did.  To  them  it  was 
the  precious  rock  on  which  they  were  able  to  sing 
amid  all  the  swelling  tides  of  earthly  wo.  It  was 
their  guiding  star  in  the  night  of  their  pilgrimage, 
their  downy  pillow  in  days  of  sickness,  and  their  un- 
wavering hope  in  the  swellings  of  the  Jordan.  When 
William  Lyford  was  asked  what  he  thought  of  the 
unknown  realities  just  before  him,  he  exclaimed, 
stretching  out  his  hand :  "  There  are  my  sins,  the 
wrath  of  God  and  eternal  death — the  just  punishment 
for  my  sins;  here  I  am,  redeemed  by  blood,  pro- 
nounced just  by  the  eternal  Judge,  included  in  the 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN      475 

eternal  covenant,  and  assured  that  God  will  'remem- 
ber my  sins  against  me  no  more  forever. ' " 

A  minister's  widow  remarked  to  me  just  as  she  was 
bidding  farewell  to  all  earthly  friends :  "  One  of  my 
children  is  in  the  far  country,  but  he  is  included  in 
God's  covenant  and  will  some  day  be  brought  back  to 
his  father's  house.  I  shall  not  live  to  see  it,  but  you 
will,"  she  added.  "I  die  clinging  to  the  promises 
connected  with  the  eternal  covenant,  and  believing 
that  I  shall  see  my  wandering  boy  restored  and 
brought  home  to  glory!" 

The  last  element  of  the  heritage  of  God's  children 
in  this  world  is  the  communion  of  saints.  To  the 
early  believers  this  was  a  most  precious  doctrine.  By 
it  they  were  comforted  in  the  catacombs,  in  the  seclu- 
sion of  hermitages,  and  even  in  dark  prisons.  I  fear 
that  too  many  of  us  run  thoughtlessly  over  that  part 
of  the  creed  which  reads,  "  I  believe  in  the  communion 
of  saints. "  Happy,  indeed,  are  those  who  do  sincerely 
believe  this  doctrine  in  all  its  length  and  breadth,  its 
height  and  depth.  Its  dimensions  come  nearly  up  to 
Christ's  love  which  passeth  knowledge.  No  tongue 
can  describe  the  help  received  by  God's  people  in 
every  age,  in  social  meetings,  church  services,  and  on 
sacramental  occasions.  In  these  coldness  has  often 
been  removed,  doubt  dispelled,  dark  problems  solved, 
and  rapturous  views  of  God  caught. 

The  communion  of  saints  extends  even  to  those  who 


476      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN. 

have  reached  the  heavenly  home.  The  column  of 
God's  redeemed  people  is  not  broken  by  death,  any 
more  than  the  hosts  of  Israel  were  broken  by  the 
floods  of  the  Jordan.  By  this  is  not  meant  that  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  are  at  the  bidding  of 
men  on  earth  or  are  bringing  to  them  the  secrets  of 
eternity.  What  I  mean  is  that  there  is  a  deep-seated 
conviction  in  the  Christian  heart,  based  on  the  teach- 
ings of  God's  Word,  that  their  friends  in  glory  have 
the  same  feelings  toward  them  that  they  had  when 
they  lived  on  earth,  and  that  God's  arms  are  round 
about  all  alike.  An  example  of  this  is  furnished  us 
by  the  celebrated  Rowland  Hill,  of  London.  After 
praying  by  the  bedside  of  one  of  his  deacons,  just  be- 
fore he  died,  he  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said: 
"  When  you  meet  the'four  Johns — John  the  Baptist, 
John  the  Evangelist,  John  Knox,  and  John  Bunyan 
— be  kind  enough  to  remember  me  to  them."  Those 
distinguished  saints  in  heaven  were  just  as  real  to  Mr. 
Hill  as  if  they  had  been  on  earth.  He  believed  that 
they  knew  all  about  him  and  would  be  glad  to  receive 
his  message. 

The  United  Brethren  have  a  special  litany  bearing 
on  this  subject.  Before  daylight,  on  Easter  morn, 
all  the  communicants  assemble  in  the  church  and 
march  into  the  graveyard  after  the  pastor,  who,  in  a 
slow,  measured  way,  reads  the  litany  as  he  marches. 
Thus  they  bring  themselves  into  close  communion  with 


INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN.      4l11 

those  who  have  gone  before.  The  living  stand  on 
the  ashes  of  the  dead,  and  the  spirits  of  both  com- 
mune together  through  blessed  memories  of  the  past. 

Upon  learning  that  she  had  but  a  short  time  to  live, 
a  minister's  daughter  once  sent  for  her  father  in  order 
to  receive  his  parting  blessing.  As  he  approached 
her  bedside,  she  asked  if  he  had  any  message  to  send 
by  her  to  heaven.  He  replied :  "  When  you  see  Moses 
tell  him  that  I  have  kept  the  law  from  my  youth  up. 
Should  you  meet  any  of  the  apostles,  or  the  prophets' 
tell  them  that  I  have  built  my  hopes  for  time  and 
eternity  upon  the  foundations  of  the  apostles  and  the 
prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner- 
stone. If  you  meet  your  mother,"  she  having  pre- 
ceded her  by  two  or  three  years,  "  tell  her  that  I 
shall  be  with  her  by  and  by — as  soon  as  God  permits." 
Here  he  paused.  Supposing  that  he  was  overcome 
by  his  allusion  to  his  departed  wife,  she  waited  for 
some  further  message.  But,  finding  that  it  was  not 
forthcoming,  she  broke  the  silence  by  asking  if  he 
had  no  word  for  Jesus.  "ISI^o,"  he  replied,  "I  have 
just  come  from  holding  a  sweet  commimion  with  Him 
regarding  you  and  your  way  to  glory.  He  has  prom- 
ised to  be  with  you  at  every  step  of  the  road.  He 
will  be  your  shepherd  in  the  swelling  stream.  'His 
rod  and  His  staff  they  will  comfort  you.'  Fear  no 
evil  then !  " 

How  real  and  comforting  is  all  this  I     It  converts 


478      INHERITANCE  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN 

eternal  things  to  present  realities.  It  makes  relig- 
ion worth  something  when  we  most  need  it.  It  sets 
our  feet  upon  a  rock  and  puts  a  song  in  our  mouth, 
even  when  our  surroundings  would  suggest  wailing 
and  sorrow ! 


TRUE  MASTERY. 

By  Rev.  William   Henry   Roberts,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

"And  whosoever  of  you  will  be  chiefest,  shall  be  servant 
of  all.  ''—Mark  x.  44. 

The  supreme  law  of  existence  with  the  vast  major- 
ity of  human  beings  is  to  "  take  care  of  number  one." 
The  advice  most  commonly  given  by  every  man  over 
forty  to  every  man  under  forty  is,  "Aim  high." 
These  maxims  illustrate  forcibly  the  two  distinguish- 
ing and  closely  related  characteristics  of  ordinary 
human  nature— selfishness  and  the  desire  to  excel. 
These  characteristics  in  combination  beget  that  strug- 
gle for  precedence,  that  desperate  rush  to  be  first  in 
something,  which  has  been  at  once  the  blessing  and  the 
curse  of  humanity— prevailingly  the  curse.  As  a  curse 
it  has  claimed  all  the  centuries  of  human  existence  as 
its  empire,  and  it  dared  attempt  to  sway  its  scepter  in 
the  very  presence  of  the  Savior  of  mankind.  Face 
to  face  with  the  tempter,  Avho  of  old  promised  our  first 
parents  "  precedence  "  in  the  words  "  Ye  shall  be  as 
gods,"  and  who  later  prompted  the  sons  of  Zebedee  to 
ask  to  sit  on  the  right  hand  and  the  left  in  the  Mes- 

479 


480  TRUE  MASTERY. 

siah's  kingdom  of  glory,  Jesus  spake,  saying,  "And 
whosoever  of  you  will  be  the  chiefest,  shall  be  servant 
of  all,"  and  then  added  the  pregnant  words,  "  For  even 
the  Son  of  Man  came,  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but 
to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 
The  words  of  our  text  are  the  Divine  commendation 
and  the  Divine  direction  with  reference  to  the  desire 
to  excel  natural  to  man.  With  this  thought  as  a  guide 
we  consider  the  topic,  "True  Mastery." 

I.  Consider,  first,  the  basis  of  true  mastery,  the 
source  whence  it  springs,  a  true  view  of  life.  In  this 
Word  of  God  life  is  clearly  set  forth  in  all  its  course 
and  attendant  circumstances  as  a  trust.  Is  life  in 
reality  a  trust?  Then  they  who  would  rise  to  any 
height  of  mastery  over  men  and  things  must  in  large 
degree  realize  the  judicial  character  of  Him  to  whom 
account  must  be  rendered.  Clear  perception  of  the 
character  of  God  as  an  impartial  Judge,  the  Rewarder 
unto  all  men  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  returning 
good  for  their  good  and  evil  for  their  evil,  is  the  essen- 
tial basis  of  true  mastery.  Without  this  perception 
there  can  not  be  aught  of  true  service.  Without  it  the 
life  is  controlled  not  by  divine  law,  but  by  the  selfish 
promptings  of  man's  sinful  heart,  and  the  sphere  of 
action  terminates  with  the  boundary  limit  of  the  in- 
dividual desire.  They  of  whom  it  is  true  that  God 
is  not  in  their  thoughts,  to  them  true  service,  and  as 
a  consequence  true  mastery,  is  an  impossibility — an 


TRUE  MASTERY.  481 

impossibility  not  merely  because  of  their  practical  re- 
fusal in  all  their  ways  to  acknowledge  God,  but  also 
because  the  non-acknowledgment  of  God  leads  of 
necessity  to  non-recognition  of  obligation  to  man. 
They  to  whom  life  is  not  a  trust,  little  they  heed  the 
coming  judgment  of  God  or  care  for  the  present  condi- 
tion of  men.  The  former  they  forget  for  a  time,  the 
latter  they  treat  with  indifference  or  perchance  use  as 
means  to  the  attainment  of  selfish  ends,  esteeming 
them  good  food  for  powder  in  the  fierce  battle  of  life. 
The  world's  practical  heartlessness  is  rooted  in  its 
practical  atheism.  That  human  pride  which  mani- 
fests itself  the  world  over  in  social  and  race  prejudices, 
in  indifference  at  home  to  the  sorrows  of  the  poor,  in 
neglect  abroad  of  the  condition  of  the  heathen,  that 
pride  is  a  real  denial  alike  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God 
and  the  brotherhood  of  man.  It  thrusts  these  con- 
ceptions to  one  side  by  its  refusal  to  regard  life  as  a 
trust  received  from  God  to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of 
man.  It  voices  itself  throughout  the  ages  in  the 
Pharisee's  prayer,  "  Lord,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am 
not  as  other  men  are."  It  gives  men  and  women  to 
deal  with  the  privileges,  the  olessings  which  God  be- 
stows upon  them,  as  the  Pharisee  dealt,  to  build  there- 
with walls  of  separation  between  themselves  and  their 
less  privileged  fellow  mortals.  And,  like  the  Phari- 
see, many  are  they  among  men  the  prayer  of  whose 
daily  conduct,  "  Lord,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as 
•61 


482  TRUE  MASTERY. 

other  men  are,"  means  just  this:  "Yes,  Lord,  thou 
hast  been  good  unto  us.  Thou  hast  given  us  bless- 
ings and  privileges  many.  Lord,  increase  our  privi- 
leges, and  we  will  make  these  walls  of  separation  bar- 
riers impassable."  Oh,  if  ever  the  thoughts  of  the 
heart  and  the  actions  of  the  life  of  man  evoke  con- 
tempt upon  the  holy  lips  of  God,  it  is  when  the  scene 
of  old  enacted  within  the  temple-court  at  Jerusalem  is 
anywhere  reenacted  upon  earth,  in  the  sight  of  com- 
mon clay,  in  rich  attire,  shrugging  its  shoulders  at 
and  turning  its  back  upon  common  clay  in  coarse  ap- 
parel ! 

Are  any  among  men  and  women  better  circumstanced 
than  others?  Are  they  endowed  with  gifts  of  body, 
of  mind,  or  of  spirit?  Have  they  social  or  official 
station?  Are  they  in  any  degree  or  manner  uplifted 
to  high  planes  of  privilege,  of  action,  of  influence,  of 
vision?  Then  are  all  these  things  constant  reminders 
unto  them  of  Him  who  is  the  Giver  of  them  all  and  of 
the  purpose  for  which  they  are  bestowed.  Justly 
regard  them  as  matters  for  the  display  of  pride  we 
can  not.  They  are  God's  providential  gifts,  who  set- 
teth  up  one  and  putteth  down  another.  Treat  them 
as  instruments  for  the  advancement  of  selfish  ends  we 
ought  not.  God  intends  us  to  use  them  as  leverage 
points  to  raise  others  to  higher  planes  of  thought,  of 
speech,  of  action,  of  privilege.  An  ancient  mathe- 
matician asked  but  a  point  upon  which  to  place  a  lever 


TRUE  MASTERY.  483 

that  he  might  move  the  world.  Before  us  all  there 
lies  some  little  world  of  sin,  of  shame,  of  suffering,  of 
want.  Have  we,  then,  been  blessed  of  God  with  priv- 
ilege or  talent  in  any  form,  let  us  use  it  as  a  leverage 
point,  wherewith  love  to  God  and  love  to  man  shall 
enable  us  to  lift  that  world  steadily  toward  salvation, 
virtue,  happiness,  and  heavea.  So  shall  we  in  truth 
treat  life  as  a  trust  and  begin  to  rise  toward  true  mas- 
tery by  the  beginnings  of  a  true  service  alike  to  God 
and  man. 

II.  Kext  consider  the  intrinsic  power  of  true  mas- 
tery—  gratitude.  The  good  we  do  others  is  the  meas- 
ure of  our  influence  over  others.  To  be  chiefest,  we 
must  be  servants  of  all.  True  mastery  comes  to  men 
and  women  just  in  the  proportion  in  which  they  re- 
press self.  Sin  and  the  doom  which  is  its  consequence 
finds  aU  its  roots  in  selfishness,  and  all  high  attain- 
ment carrying  wide  influence  is  rooted,  therefore,  in 
victory  over  self.  Except  men  and  women  love  and 
live  for  something  other  than  self,  their  lives  must  be 
barren  of  that  true  power  which  is  gratitude  for  serv- 
ice rendered. 

Think  of  how  this  truth  illustrates  itself  in  the  case 
of  some  selfish  Dives,  whose  one  aim  in  life  is  that 
"  loudest  laugh  of  hell, "  the  pride  of  dying  rich.  He 
lives,  it  may  be,  in  luxury,  is  clad  in  fine  linen  and 
purple.  He  stalks  on  in  life,  heedless  of  the  beggar 
at  his  gate,  less  compassionate  to  the  sick  and  the 


484  TRUE  MASTERY. 

poor  than  his  dogs,  and  drowning  the  prayer  of  want 
and  the  cry  of  suffering  in  the  laughter  of  the  feast,  or 
the  hoarse  roar  of  the  machinery  of  trade.  What 
wealth  of  true  blessedness  and  power  has  such  a  man 
in  himself  or  his  surroundings?  His  money,  it  is 
true,  can  command  many  things.  It  can  add  to  his 
comforts;  it  can  provide  means  of  enjoyment;  it  can 
perhaps  appease  the  craviiigs  of  the  appetites  of  sense; 
it  can  throw  open  those  doors  of  society  which  creak 
on  silver  hinges;  it  can  make  him,  living,  an  object  of 
obsequious  regard,  and  send  him  to  his  grave  in  all  the 
panoply  of  costly  funereal  trappings.  But  can  it  pur- 
chase stedfast  friendship?  Can  it  provide  the  joys 
which  wither  never?  Can  it  satisfy  the  hunger  of  the 
soul?  Can  it  open  wide  those  doors  of  the  human 
heart  which  swing  only  upon  the  hinges  of  the  affec- 
tions? Can  it  make  him,  living  or  dead,  a  monarch 
whose  scepter  is  unselfish  service ;  whose  tributes  of 
homage,  living,  are  the  thanks  of  those  whom  he  has 
aided ;  dying,  the  tears  with  which  they  bedew  his 
memory,  and  whose  dominion  is  abiding  as  the  im- 
mortal natures  which  Christ  came  to  save?  Mere 
money,  my  hearers,  yea,  any  and  all  of  the  things 
which  pertain  to  this  passing  world,  in  themselves  or 
in  their  possession  contain  not  even  the  germ  of  the 
power  of  true  mastery.  Man's  life  consisteth  not  in 
the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth. 
Means  are  these  things  to  an  end,  instruments  of  serv- 


TRUE  MASTERY.  485 

ice,  honorable  to  God  and  useful  to  man,  that  and 
nothing  more.  Ever  in  their  use  do  we  need  to  re- 
member the  words  of  the  Master  of  us  all,  "  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall 
into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone ;  but  if  it  die, 
it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit. " 

These  words  just  quoted— what  are  they  but  a  sum- 
mons to  all  true  natures  to  repress,  yea,  to  bury  self, 
and,  strong  in  the  impulse  of  a  new  and  grander  life, 
to  press  forward  to  the  helping  and  uplifting  of  others. 
It  is  just  in  proportion  as  we  let  self  die  that  there 
springs  from  our  lives  fruitage  to  the  good  of  human- 
ity at  large.  Every  time  we  perform  an  unselfish 
action  we  feel  this  to  be  the  truth ;  we  enter  further 
into  the  realization  of  the  fact,  not  only  that  we  have 
helped  others,  but  that  we  have  added  new  power 
unto  ourselves.  The  past  bears  clear  witness  to  this 
truth.  They  whose  lives  have  been  most  freely  given 
for  the  good  of  men  have  linked  themselves  by  their 
conduct  to  the  nobility  and  beneficence  of  times  gone 
by,  and,  therefore,  go  forward  into  the  times  to  come 
the  true  kings  of  humanity.  They  hold  as  their  heri- 
tage tho  gratitude  of  the  ages,  and  all  hearts  are 
their  empire.  Whose  names,  for  instance,  are  re- 
peated in  this  age  of  progress  from  heart  to  heart  and 
lip  to  lip  and  continent  to  continent?  Whose  deeds 
stir  afresh  the  stagnating  blood  of  liberty  and  quicken 
the  dull  pulses  of  virtue?     These  men  who  forget 


486  TRUE  MASTERY. 

themselves  in  thought  for  others — men  to  whom  life 
was  as  nothing  except  as  a  means  to  the  good  of  hu- 
manity ;  men  like  Livingstone,  in  whose  ears  the  pleas 
of  selfishness  were  overcome  by  the  cries  of  their  suf- 
fering brethren;  men  in  whose  hearts  the  kernel  of 
self  died  utterly  and  whose  natures,  transformed  by 
divine  power,  budded  into  a  new  life,  whose  fruit  is 
ever  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  They  rise  before 
us  the  true  heroes  of  mankind,  patriots,  statesmen, 
philanthropists,  confessors,  martyrs,  until,  passing 
over  paths  strewn  with  heroic  ashes  and  saintly  blood, 
we  stand  in  His  presence  and  beneath  the  shadow  of 
His  cross  who  spake,  saying,  "Whosoever  of  you  will 
be  the  chief  est,  shall  be  servant  of  all. "  And  the  mas- 
tery of  Christ  over  humanity — is  it  not  summed  up  in 
one  terse,  pregnant  sentence,  "  Who  loved  me  and  gave 
Himself  for  me  "? 

The  true  source  of  Christ's  mastery  over  humanity 
was  clearly  perceived  by  one  into  whose  possession 
worldly  power  came  in  surpassing  degree.  Speaking 
to  a  friend  concerning  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  con- 
queror Napoleon  said :  "  Alexander,  Caesar,  Charle- 
magne, and  myself  founded  empires.  But  on  what 
did  we  rest  the  creations  of  our  genius?  Upon  force! 
Jesus  Christ  alone  founded  His  empire  upon  love,  and 
at  this  hour  millions  of  men  would  die  for  Him. " 

This  testimony — what  is  it  but  to  declare  that  the 
true  empire  of  a  kingly  soul  lies  in  the  hearts  of  men ; 


TRUE  MASTERY.  4SR 

that  the  way  to  its  throne  lies  along  the  pathway  of 
the  affections ;  that  the  power  of  true  mastery  is  abi- 
ding gratitude  for  true  service  rendered?  "  Him  that 
hath  ears,  let  him  hear." 

III.  Our  third  thought  deals  with  the  condition  of 
true  mastery — faithfulness.  To  be  accounted  among 
the  chiefest,  we  must  be  servants  of  all  —i.e.,  we  must 
so  use  all  opportunity  and  all  ability  as  to  evidence  that 
ours  is  the  spirit  of  faithfulness  in  all  service. 

This  spii-it  of  faithfulness  in  all  duty-doing  is  at 
once  the  life  of  all  true  humanity  and  all  true  religion, 
as  it  is  also  the  test  of  the  truth  of  all  claims  of  gen- 
erous interest  in  the  work  of  human  advancement. 
There  is  in  this  age  a  far  wider  profession  of  love  to 
God  and  love  to  man  than  in  the  ages  preceding.  Is 
there  more  of  this  spirit  of  faithfulness?  Centuries 
ago,  during  the  times  which  in  our  dulness  we  call 
the  dark  ages,  forgotten  workmen  reared  in  Britain 
the  historic  structure  of  Westminster  Abbey.  Some 
years  since  its  roof  needed  reconstruction,  and  then 
was  unveiled  to  the  eyes  of  this  generation  the  fact 
that  those  builders  of  old  had  wrought  the  things 
which  were  hidden  from  the  eye  with  a  care  as  great 
and  into  a  beauty  as  complete  as  the  things  which  had 
been  seen  of  all.  Impelled  by  the  spirit  of  faithful- 
ness, they  wrought  for  their  work's  sake,  they  wrought 
for  the  eye  of  God,  they  were  faithful  in  that  which  is 
least  as  well  as  in  that  which  is  much. 


488  TRUE  MASTERY. 

What  is  our  day  and  time?  Ours  is  an  age  of  prog- 
ress, of  great  events,  of  far-reaching  movements ;  but 
may  it  not  also  be  an  age  in  which  the  glory  of  our 
advancing  civilization  hides  from  sight  much  of  igno- 
ble display,  of  base  egotism,  of  unvarnished  selfish- 
ness? Have  we  the  spirit  of  the  earlier  time  in  equal 
degree  and  as  clear  expression?  Do  men  and  women 
now  live  and  labor  in  any  vocation  where  God  has 
placed  them,  calm  in  trust  in  the  equity  of  the  dis- 
pensations of  His  all-wise  will,  or  is  there  far  and 
wide  the  spirit  of  impatience,  of  unrest,  of  envy,  of 
self-seeking,  of  the  desire  to  live  at  ease  and  at  the 
expense  of  others?  Which  is  first  with  the  many — 
duty,  or  pleasure  and  ambition?  Thoughtful  minds 
are  filled  with  well-grounded  fears  which  prompt  often 
the  inquiry.  Is  the  spirit  of  true  progress,  which  is 
also  the  spirit  of  faithfulness,  losing  its  grip  upon 
human  hearts  and  lives?  And  well  may  the  question 
be  repeated  time  and  again,  for  supremacy  in  all  the 
departments  of  human  achievement,  physical,  mental, 
moral,  and  spiritual,  depends  upon  that  faithfulness 
which  is  careful  in  that  which  is  least  as  well  as  in 
that  which  is  much.  The  condition  of  true  mastery 
on  earth  and  in  heaven  is  faithfulness. 

In  heaven?  Yes,  in  heaven.  The  oft-quoted  par- 
able of  the  talents  contains  sentences  pregnant  with 
meaning  in  their  bearing  upon  faithfulness  as  the  con- 
dition of  true  mastery.     To  the  servants  who  brought 


TRUE  MASTERY.  489 

unto  their  Lord  talents  added  unto  those  which  they 
had  received  the  words  were  spoken :  "  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  in 
a  few  tilings,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things." 
Faithfulness  in  little  things  here  is  the  condition  of  a 
crown  and  kingdom  yonder. 

Clearly,  then,  the  truth  stands  out  that  the  crucial 
question  with  God  as  to  a  man's  or  a  woman's  true 
mastery  is,  Has  he,  has  she,  been  found  faithful?  Lit- 
tle it  matters  where  one's  lot  in  life  may  be  cast  or 
what  the  sphere  of  labor,  whether  narrow  or  broad. 
The  workman  who  from  day  to  day  toils  on  in  plod- 
ding patience  at  his  bench,  doing  his  work,  "  heartily 
as  to  the  Lord  and  not  unto  men  " — as  faithful  he  as 
Paul  when  he  stood  up  before  Ciesar  speaking  in  over- 
powering words  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and 
judgment  to  come.  The  wife  and  mother  laboring  on 
quietly  in  her  home,  bearing  meekly  the  many  bur- 
dens of  the  domestic  circle,  toiling  on  for  husband  and 
children,  unnoticed  by  the  crowd,  heart-stricken  it 
may  be,  often  almost  worn  out  by  the  small  tasks  and 
monotonous  round  of  that  woman's  work  which  is 
never  done,  but  yet  amid  all  true  to  the  best  interests 
of  her  household  and  to  her  God — as  grand  her  life  in 
the  divine  sight  as  the  life  of  a  saint  of  old  crowned 
at  death  with  the  glories  of  martyrdom.  The  mother 
is  faithful.  Was  the  martyr  more?  The  workman  is 
faithful.     Was  Paul  anything  more?     Faithfulness  is 


490  TRUE  MASTERY. 

the  one  requirement  of  God  in  all  work,  whether  secu- 
lar or  spiritual.  And  with  God,  blessed  be  His  name ! 
"  great  and  small "  in  any  human  and  earthly  sense 
are  words  utterly  unknown.  It  is  not  the  greatness 
of  a  work  which  secures  reward  hereafter.  God  meas- 
ures not  as  men  measure.  He  measures  the  value  of 
life  by  its  quality,  not  by  its  quantity.  Faithfulness  in 
true  service,  faithfulness  in  that  which  is  least  as  well 
as  in  that  which  is  much — that  gives  mastery  here ; 
that  shall  hereafter  receive  a  crown  unfading  and  a 
kingdom  which  shall  not  pass  away.  Again,  "  Him 
that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear  "  clearly  this  added 
lesson,  which  rings  out  sharply  from  the  words,  "  Who- 
soever of  you  will  be  chief  est,  shall  be  servant  of  aU." 

IV.  We  present  as  our  closing  thought  the  truth 
that  the  glory  of  true  mastery  is  self-sacrifice.  We 
have  sought  to  show  that  the  basis  of  true  mastery  is 
a  conviction  that  life  is  a  trust ;  that  its  power  con- 
sists in  the  gratitude  evoked  by  true  service ;  that  its 
condition  is  faithfulness  in  all  things.  Its  glory,  my 
hearers,  is  self-sacrifice. 

Self-sacrifice — what  is  it?  Simply  stated,  it  is  the 
giving  oneself  as  an  absolute,  irrevocable  gift,  wher- 
ever one's  lot  is  cast,  whatever  one's  station  may  be, 
to  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  It  does  not  involve  of  necessity  great  priva- 
tions or  a  martyr's  death.  These,  it  is  true,  are 
sometimes  its  accompaniments,   but  it  can  be  mani- 


TRUE  MASTERY.  491 

fested  at  home  as  well  as  abroad,  amid  the  toil  of  the 
humble  tent-maker  as  well  as  in  the  life  of  the  heroic 
missionary  apostle.  The  keynote  of  all  true  self-sacri- 
fice is  heard  in  the  words  of  old  upon  the  lips  of  Paul, 
as  he  looked  forth  upon  the  hardships  of  the  work  unto 
which  he  was  called :  "  I  count  not  my  life  dear  unto 
myself."  Add  to  the  words  of  Paul  the  words,  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself, "  and  we  add  to  the  keynote 
of  self-sacrifice  the  method  of  the  exhibition  of  the 
fact  that  men  and  women  possess  that  spirit  Avhich 
was  in  Paul  and  in  Christ.  The  proof  that  we  are 
one  with  the  apostle  and  the  Lord  is  given  in  our  love 
to  God  and  our  love  to  men. 

Naturally,  then,  we  pass  to  the  one  great  lesson 
of  the  text.  What,  my  hearers,  of  the  spirit  which 
Jesus  and  others  following  in  His  footsteps  have 
manifested?  The  world's  need  abides  ever  the  same 
— self-sacrificing  effort  for  its  elevation,  progress, 
redemption.  Could  we,  then,  be  heroic  if  the  need 
arose?  Is  the  obligation  to  true  service  so  royal 
in  us  that  when  duty  calls  we  could  say  and  act 
with  Paul,  face  to  face  with  the  needs,  the  suffer- 
ings, the  sin,  the  shame  of  man,  "  I  count  not  my 
life  dear  unto  myself. "  Of  what  substance  are  our 
souls  fashioned?  Of  clay  which  shall  crumble  to 
powder  at  the  first  breath  of  temptation  or  trial ;  or  of 
gold,  which  shall   come  forth   from   a  thrice-heated 


492  TRUE  MASTERY. 

furnace,  only  the  purer  for  the  test?  Are  we  fit, 
whatever  our  station  or  gifts,  only  to  be  servants  in  a 
low  and  menial  sense ;  or  have  we  in  us  all  that  soul- 
stuff  out  of  which  God  can  fashion  here  one  of  His 
true  servants  hereafter,  kings  to  sit  forever  with  Christ 
on  His  throne?  The  answer  to  these  questions  must, 
of  course,  be  left  to  ourselves,  but  let  us  see  to  it  that 
the  answer  be  given  in  unmistakable  fashion,  by  our 
personal  effort,  wherever  God  has  placed  us,  for  the 
welfare  and  redemption  of  humanity.  Many  years  ago 
the  building  of  a  large  charitable  institution  in  the  city 
of  London  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire.  The  hour 
was  one  in  the  morning,  all  the  inmates  had  retired  to 
rest,  and  the  terrible  alarm  broke  with  startling  effect 
upon  their  slumbers.  The  firemen  arrived  speedily 
on  the  ground,  and  in  a  short  time  ninety-seven  souls 
had  been  snatched  from  a  fiery  death.  It  was  sup- 
posed that  all  had  been  saved,  but  suddenly  a  shriek 
startled  the  gathered  throngs,  and  upon  the  roof  of 
the  building  five  men  were  seen  calling  aloud  for  help. 
Quickly  a  long  ladder  was  brought  and  raised  against 
the  building,  but  it  failed  to  reach  the  imperiled  ones 
by  many  feet.  Another  and  shorter  ladder  was  speed- 
ily brought,  and  a  brave  fireman,  carrying  it  on  his 
shoulders,  mounted  the  larger  ladder  and  placed  the 
foot  of  the  one  he  carried  upon  its  upper  rounds.  But 
still  the  imperiled  men  were  unreached.  "ISTo  hope! 
no  hope !  "  men  muttered  with  bated  breath  as  they 


TRUE  MASTERY.  493 

gazed  upon  the  swiftly  advancing  flames.  But  see ! 
The  fireman  grasps  firmly  the  ladder  he  carries,  raises 
it,  now  to  his  knees,  now  to  his  hips,  now  to  his  shoul- 
ders, and  now  over  his  body  those  who  seemed  but  a 
minute  before  lost  pass  to  safety  amid  ringing  cheers. 
The  fireman  added  his  own  length  to  the  means  of  res- 
cue and  so  made  escape  possible  for  those  in  danger. 

Let  us  lay  to  heart  and  act  out  in  the  life  the  les- 
son of  the  incident.  Wherever  there  is  human  need 
let  us  gird  ourselves  for  action.  Let  the  spirit  of  our 
Lord  dwell  in  us  and  manifest  itself  clearly  in  our 
conduct.  Yea,  let  us  rise  to  the  height  of  the  Divine 
example,  evidencing  by  our  acts  that  we  apprehend 
the  full  meaning  of  the  Gospel  plan  of  salvation. 
With  all  reverence  be  it  said  that  salvation  for  man 
from  sin  was  an  impossibility  until  God  was  Himself 
found  in  fashion  as  a  man.  In  the  Scriptures  it  is 
written  not  only  that  God  pitied  men,  not  only  that 
God  loved  the  world,  but  also  that  God  was  born  a 
man,  lived  among  men,  died  for  men;  that  He  so 
added  Himself  to  the  plan  of  salvation  that  it  was 
brought  to  full  completeness.  May  we  follow  in  this, 
as  in  other  things,  the  Father  who  is  in  heaven  as  His 
dear  children.  May  His  spirit  increasingly  dwell  in 
us  who  spake  of  old,  saying,  "  Whosoever  of  you  will 
be  chiefest,  shall  be  servant  to  all,  for  the  Son  of  Man 
came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister  and  to 
give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many." 


AN   EASTER   SERMON. 
By  Rev.  H.  0.  Rowlands,  D.D.,  Lincoln,  Nebb. 

"And  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  our  preaching  vain,  and 
your  faith  is  also  vain.  " 

"  But  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the  first- 
fruits  of  them  that  slept.  " 

"For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive. " 

"  But  every  man  in  his  own  order  ;  Christ  the  first-fruits ; 
afterward  they  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming. 

—1  Cor.  XV.  14,  20,  22,  23. 

The  text  presents  three  great  principles  or  truths 
of  the  Christian  faith. 

I.  The  argument  of  Christianity  for  its  claims  to  be 
a  divine  religion — that  it  has  a  right  to  the  faith  of 
man  and  authority  over  his  life  and  conscience.  The 
argument  is  based,  not  on  its  excellency  as  a  code  of 
ethics  or  on  its  benevolent  mission  in  the  world,  but 
on  the  one  great  fact — the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
from  the  dead. 

If  Jesus  did  not  rise  from  the  dead,  there  is  no  such 
supernatural  religion  as  Christianity.  Its  teachers  are 
"false  witnesses,"  its  believers  are  credulous  dupes, 
and  "of  all  men  the  most  miserable." 

494 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  495 

The  first  heralds  of  Christianity  pivoted  their  mes- 
sage on  this  fact  of  the  resurrection.  In  their  ser- 
mons and  letters  they  demanded  the  faith  and  accep- 
tance of  men  for  the  Gospel  because  it  was  verified  by 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus.  Jesus  was  proved  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  by  His  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

Following  that  supreme  credential,  that  stamp  of 
genuineness,  and  dependent  upon  it,  came  the  life, 
theology,  philosophy,  hope,  and  blessedness  of  Chris- 
tianity as  commending  it  to  men's  reason,  conscience, 
and  love ;  but  always  the  basal,  pivotal  truth  of  our 
religion  is  the  fact  of  Easter.  Because  He  did  rise 
from  the  dead  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  Lord  of 
life,  and  King  of  kings,  and  has  the  right  of  rule 
over  the  race  of  man.  The  resurrection  is  His  title 
to  the  throne  of  the  human  mind  and  heart. 

Eighteen  centuries  of  the  best  history  of  man  have 
come  from  the  Bethlehem  manger.  Since  then  there 
has  been  in  the  world  a  social,  ethical,  and  religious 
force — a  civilization  named  Christianity.  It  has 
worked  political  and  moral  revolutions  and  changed 
the  course  of  human  history.  It  is  to-day  more  liv- 
ing, aggressive,  and  powerful  than  ever.  It  is  direct- 
ing the  path  in  which  the  ages  move,  it  is  ever  open- 
ing new  avenues  for  the  feet  of  knowledge,  and  setting 
the  chimes  of  progress  to  holier  movements.  It  has 
more  believers  and  devotees  than  ever,  and  their  num- 
ber is  increasing  with  every  cycle  of  the  sun.     Hos- 


496  AN  EASTER  SERMON. 

pitals,  asylums,  homes,  and  other  blessings  follow  its 
path  as  flowers  bloom  in  the  footprints  of  spring,  as 
sheaves  in  the  paths  of  summer.  Such  an  effect  must 
have  a  cause.  We  can  not  admit  the  existence  of  the 
light  and  ignore  the  sun ;  of  the  stream  and  deny  the 
fountain-head.  The  power  and  influence  of  Jesus  in 
the  world  are  felt  and  admitted  by  all. 

What  is  there  in  His  life  and  death  to  account  for 
this?  A  miraculous  birth?  An  incarnation  of  deity 
among  men  was  not  an  idea  materialized  first  in  the 
Bethlehem  stable.  Babylon  and  Egypt  ascribed  such 
an  honor  to  their  kings,  and  Greece  and  Eome  claimed 
it  for  their  heroes,  and  the  claim  was  sincerely  ac- 
knowledged ;  but  when  those  nations  died  their  claims 
also  perished.  Honorable  descent  and  wealth  have 
done  much  for  public  men.  Gautama  was  the  son  of 
a  king,  and  Mohammed  was  wonderfully  helped  by  a 
fortunate  marriage.  But  the  putative  father  of  Jesus 
was  a  poor  artisan  living  in  a  contemptible  village. 
He  Himself  spent  thirty  years  of  His  life  making  ox- 
yokes  and  cart-wheels,  mending  plows  and  stools.  So 
far  as  we  know.  He  made  no  impression  on  His  neigh- 
bors. He  was  not  a  literary  character ;  not  educated, 
as  men  at  that  time  called  education.  Yet  His  frag- 
mentary sermons  and  talks,  as  they  have  come  down 
to  us,  are  the  seed  of  the  greatest  libraries  of  the  world. 
There  is  in  their  clear,  calm  depths  wisdom  which  the 
plummets  of  eighteen  centuries  have  not  fathomed. 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  497 

On  the  front  of  every  age  they  seem  to  be  written 
with  a  divine  chemical  fluid  which  no  influence  can 
blot  or  power  erase.  Social  influences  have  done  much 
to  enlarge  the  influence  of  men,  and  Jesus  placed  social 
life  on  a  new  basis  and  regenerated  it  to  new  purposes. 
But  He  had  no  social  position.  He  was  the  companion 
of  common  people  and  the  friend  of  the  outcast.  In 
the  hut  of  the  flsherman  He  was  a  comrade,  in  the 
cottage  of  Bethany  a  guest,  but  in  the  parlor  of  Caia- 
phas  and  palace  of  Pilate  He  was  a  disgraced,  chained 
prisoner.  His  moral  teachings  were  indeed  the  best 
man  ever  taught;  but  they  were  what  any  inspired 
messenger  ef  God  might  utter.  David,  Isaiah,  and 
John  also  spoke  words  of  gold  from  lips  of  wisdom. 
He  wrought  miracles ;  so  did  the  ancient  prophets  be- 
fore Him  and  apostles  after  Him,  He  was  benevo- 
lent, wise,  and  righteous;  so  were  Socrates,  Daniel, 
and  Aurelius.  He  was  indeed  immeasurably  greater 
in  those  features  and  graces ;  but  the  difference  can 
not  account  for  the  measureless  influence  of  His  name 
and  the  abiding  force  of  His  teaching. 

In  some  respects  He  was  signiflcantly  wanting  in 
characteristics  that  have  belonged  to  the  epoch-makers 
of  history.  He  has  won  more  victories  than  Caesar, 
Napoleon  pales  before  the  splendor  of  His  achieve- 
ments ;  but  Pie  was  not  a  soldier  like  Joshua  or  David 
or  Alexander.  He  commanded  an  army  of  twelve 
fishermen,  and  promptly  rebuked  the  disciple  who 
32 


498  AN  EASTER  SERMON. 

appealed  to  the  sword.  He  said  the  "  meek  should 
inherit  the  earth."  The  dove,  not  the  vulture;  the 
lamb,  not  the  lion,  were  the  types  of  His  government. 

He  is  to-day  reorganizing  governments,  molding 
empires,  and  creating  nations;  crowns  and  thrones 
are  at  His  feet.  But  He  was  not  a  statesman  like 
Moses,  Caesar,  or  Gladstone.  He  had  no  place  to  lay 
down  His  head,  and  He  made  short  work  of  all  politi- 
cal questions  brought  Him  by  tempters,  either  by  re- 
pelling them  or  using  them  for  a  spiritual  lesson. 

History  with  its  rhetoric  and  partialisms  has  done 
much  for  reputations.  The  cruel  Achilles  shines  lus- 
trously in  the  radiancy  of  the  genius  of  Homer,  ^neas 
was  not  as  great  as  the  muse  of  Vergil  presents  him, 
and  Evangeline  is  much  adorned  in  the  poem  of  Long- 
fellow. Jesus  has  created  history,  inspired  the  no- 
blest poetry ;  His  name  has  made  the  canvas  breathe 
with  purity  and  the  marble  to  pulsate  with  heroism ; 
but  no  historian  gilded  His  life  with  rhetoric  and 
praises.  Four  unlearned  men  prepared  brief,  un- 
adorned, fragmentary,  and  disconnected  histories  of 
the  few  years  He  lived. 

His  death  was  pitiably  pathetic.  Other  men  as 
well  as  He  died  for  their  convictions  or  to  bless  their 
fellow  men,  as  Leonidas  and  Winkelreid  did.  There 
are  the  turbulent  multitude,  the  frightened  disciples, 
the  weeping  women,  the  lonely  mother,  the  gory  gibbet, 
the  loud  wail,  and  the  collapse  of  life.     Nothing  there 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  499 

to  stir  a  muse  or  move  an  artist's  brush  or  chisel  I 
His  death  was  not  a  "  jeweled  crown  on  a  golden  life." 
If  His  life  had  ended  with  that  tragical  death,  the  in- 
carnation would  have  been  a  myth;  the  story  of  the 
miracles  the  tale  of  the  credulous ;  His  death  the  acci- 
dent of  turbulence — at  best  the  martyrdom  of  an 
enthusiast;  His  claims  the  visions  of  a  dreamer,  all 
preaching  of  Him  "vain,"  and  all  faith  in  Him  also 
**  vain" ;  for  His  claims  for  preeminence  are  based  on 
His  declaration  that  He  is  "equal  with  God,"  the 
Source  and  Giver  of  life  to  all  who  believe  in  Him. 
An  abiding  death  would  contradict  all  such  claims,  for 
He  Himself  would  be  the  helpless  victim  of  death  and 
the  eternal  prisoner  of  the  grave.  A  religion  inspired 
by  a  faith  in  such  a  person  could  have  no  power ;  it 
would  be  on  a  level  with  the  speculations  of  India  or 
the  extravagances  of  ]\Iecca. 

But,  when  we  add  to  that  wonderful  life  and  awful 
death  the  substantiated  declaration,  "  Christ  is  risen 
indeed,"  then  all  the  records  and  teachings  of  the 
written  Gospel  are  natural,  harmonious,  and  true. 
They  fit  the  life  and  character  of  Christ  as  the  dawn 
fits  the  rising  sun,  as  the  light  becomes  the  day. 

He  who  could  rise  from  the  dead  must  have  been 
the  incarnate  God,  for  God  alone  has  life  and  immor- 
tality ;  the  miracles  He  wrought  were  the  mere  alpha- 
bet of  the  crowning  miracle,  the  resurrection;  His 
sublime,  impeccable,  holy  life  became  His  character 


600  ^iV  EASTER  SERMON. 

as  light  becomes  the  sun;  His  death  was  not  only  a 
testimony  of  His  love  for  the  truth,  but  was  as  He 
claimed,  "  giving  His  life  for  the  sheep  " ;  it  was  ato- 
ning, sacrificial,  and  vicarious.  He  gave  His  life  for 
the  sheep. 

The  Holy  Spirit  shows  the  importance  of  the  resur- 
rection as  the  stupendous,  basal  fact  of  Christianity  in 
substantiating  by  such  witnesses  and  proofs  as  testify 
to  no  other  event  in  human  history.  The  prophecies 
of  a  thousand  years  point  to  it.  Jesus  declared  re- 
peatedly He  should  rise  from  the  dead.  After  His 
resurrection  He  was  seen  many  times  by  His  disciples 
— some  of  them  most  skeptical  of  His  identity — and 
recognized  as  the  risen  Jesus.  They  gazed  on  Him, 
felt  of  Him,  and  satisfied  their  doubts.  When  their 
evidence  was  called  in  question  and  they  were  arrested, 
tortured,  and  cruelly  slain  for  their  testimony  and 
preaching,  they  yielded  their  lives  a  pledge  of  the 
truth  of  their  message  that  they  had  "  looked  upon  " 
and  had  been  with  the  risen  Christ  and  had  seen  Him 
ascending  into  the  heavens.  Those  who  helped  cru- 
cify Him  believed  in  the  risen  Lord.  So  glaring 
was  the  fact  that  even  the  enemies  did  not  care  to 
deny  it. 

Other  witnesses  of  this  fact  are  the  Christian  church 
with  its  sacred  ordinances  of  baptism  and  the  Holy 
Supper,  memorials  of  the  death  and  resurrection  of 
Jesus ;  and  Easter,  the  memorial  day  of  the  event. 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  501 

Sixty  generations  have  passed  since  the  first  Easter 
morning,  and  the  name  of  Jesus  holds  a  firmer  spell 
over  the  race  of  man  than  ever.  "  The  waif  of  l?eth- 
lehem,  the  boy  of  Nazareth,  and  the  carpenter  of  Gal- 
ilee "  has  been  turning  the  tide  of  human  history  into 
new  channels,  and  the  pierced  hands  have  lifted  the 
centuries  to  swing  on  new  hinges. 

The  secret  of  this  mysterious  energy  is:  Jesus  is 
not  a  dead  hero,  but  a  risen,  living,  reigning  Leader. 
His  warm  blood  flows  through  the  veins  and  arteries 
of  His  great  religion ;  His  heart  is  beating  against  the 
ribs  of  the  ages;  for  He  is  the  living  Lord  of  lords 
and  King  of  kings. 

Not  on  the  Bible,  however  substantiated,  does  the 
Christian  religion  rest  for  its  .support.  The  existence 
and  splendor  of  the  sun  do  not  depend  on  a  text-book 
of  astronomy ;  it  may  be  farther  or  nearer  than  our 
mathematics  make  it;  its  glow  and  life  do  not  depend 
on  the  speculations  how  the  solar  fires  are  fed ;  so  not 
on  Scripture  or  theology  does  the  divine  religion  de- 
pend for  its  verification,  but  upon  the  fact  that  Jesus 
rose  from  the  dead  and  is  now  pouring  His  life  into 
the  life  of  the  race,  and  life  is  ever  its  own  best  wit- 
ness. "  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead, "  and  we 
preach  Him  and  believe  in  Him  as  the  risen  and  living 
King.     On  Ilis  head  be  many  crowns! 

II.  Faith  in  the  immortality  of  man  is  confirmed 
into  an  assurance  and  a  pledge  by  the  resurrection  of 


502  AN  EASTER  SERMON. 

our  blessed  Lord.  He  is  the  "  first-fruits  of  them  that 
slept." 

That  there  is  a  life  beyond  death  has  always  been 
the  hope  of  love,  the  poet's  dream,  the  prayer  and 
instinct  of  the  race.  Men  have  always  recoiled  from 
the  rumor  that  death  is  the  end  of  all,  and  beyond  it 
is  the  blank  of  unending  silence  and  dreamless  sleep. 
The  grave  is  not  the  temple  of  man,  nor  the  worm 
his  priest.  The  bricks  of  Babylon,  the  granite  of 
Egypt,  the  poetry  of  Greece,  and  traditions  of  all  na- 
tions show  that  the  heart  of  man  in  all  ages  hoped 
and  believed  in  immortality  and  prayed  the  great 
Father  to  give  back  the  sweet  life  death  had  taken. 

But  before  the  coming  of  Christ  a  strong  unbelief 
had  crept  like  an  eclipse  over  the  radiant  truth. 
Eome  sung  to  her  colonies  that  death  was  the  "  end  of 
all. "  Among  the  chosen  people  the  richest  and  most 
intellectual  sect,  the  Sadducees,  taught  there  was  no 
future  life.  Neither  spirit  nor  angel  stirred  in  its 
lethean  silence,  and  death  was  the  horizon  of  all  hu- 
man life.  In  the  Orient,  Buddha  had  the  ear  of  the 
great  Aryan  race,  and  he  persuaded  them  that  life 
was  the  greatest  curse,  and  the  greatest  blessing 
Vishnu  had  for  man  was  to  blot  out  his  personality  in 
a  pulseless  Nirvana.  The  phalanxes  of  death  were 
beating  back  the  troops  of  life  and  planting  the  black 
flag  of  despair  on  the  farther  banks  of  the  grave.  The 
reason  for  this  hopelessness  was,  the  doctrine  of  im- 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  603 

mortality  had  always  rested  on  sentiment.  But  no 
hope  or  faith  can  live  long  on  sentiment;  they  need 
facts  to  sustain  them,  as  a  system  of  planets  needs  a 
solar  center.  Men  had  seen  the  ages  going  down  to 
death,  but  no  one  returned  from  the  strange,  invisible 
shores  to  tell  what  was  beyond  and  on  what  country 
the  dark  waters  laved. 

At  last  the  problem  was  solved,  the  anxious  ques- 
tion of  the  ages  was  answered,  for  a  great  fact  burst 
like  a  radiant  sun  in  the  life  of  the  race,  around  which 
its  hopes  and  faith  might  ever  revolve  and  receive  life 
and  luster,  for  mark :  there  was  no  doubt  of  the  death 
of  the  One  on  the  middle  gibbet.  After  He  uttered  a 
loud  wail  His  face  was  seen  dropping  and  resting  like 
a  white  streak  on  His  breast.  To  make  death  still 
more  sure,  the  soldier  lifts  the  sharp  steel  toward  His 
side;  it  slits  the  skin  and  divides  the  flesh,  pierces 
the  pericardium,  and  enters  the  heart,  and  in  its  path 
follow  blood  and  water.  Ko  doubt  He  is  dead!  He 
is  buried  in  a  new  grave,  the  huge  stone  rolled  on  the 
entrance.  Sixteen  soldiers  watch  the  contents,  and 
the  penalty  of  death  enforces  vigilance.  The  military 
power  of  the  Roman  empire  is  pledged  to  keep  that 
tomb  sealed  and  repel  all  intrusion. 

But  behold !  with  the  dawn  of  the  first  Easter  morn- 
ing around  that  tomb  is  a  play  of  light  that  makes  the 
soldiers  as  dead  men !  The  stone  rolls  away,  brushed 
by  a  seraphic  wing,  and  out  of  the  house  of  death 


504  AN  EASTER  SERMON. 

comes  forth  alive  the  crucified  Jesus,  girded  with 
power,  now  the  Conqueror  of  death  and  the  Lord  of 
life,  and  on  the  territory  of  the  grave  He  delivers  the 
immortal  inaugural :  "  I  am  He  who  was  dead  and 
am  alive,  and  lo,  I  live  forevermore."  "  Because  I  live 
ye  shall  live  also." 

Jesus  is  the  first  sheaf  of  the  harvest  of  the  race  of 
man  that  shall  yet  be  gathered.  His  resurrection  is 
the  pledge  that  all  the  hosts  of  the  dead  shall  rise. 
They  will  come  from  battle-field,  where  life  was  thrown 
away  as  of  no  value;  from  ocean  depths,  from  lone 
deserts,  from  hidden  graves.  The  whole  earth  will 
quiver  and  agonize  at  the  second  birth  of  the  re- 
deemed race  into  a  life  incorruptible,  glorious,  and 
immortal. 

III.  The  resurrection  of  Jesus  reveals  some  of  the 
conditions  of  the  future  life.  Before  this  event,  even 
those  who  firmly  believed  in  future  immortality  had 
crude  and  low  conceptions  of  the  state  of  the  departed. 
The  Greeks  fancied  their  heroes  were  wandering  in 
Hades  moaning  away  a  dreary  existence.  Among  the 
Hebrew  people  questions  were  asked  such  as.  If  a 
woman  married  more  than  once  in  the  present  life, 
whose  wife  would  she  be  in  the  future  life?  There 
was  nothing  elevating  or  inspiring  in  the  faith ;  it  was 
the  toy  of  speculation,  the  trellis  of  vagaries. 

The  resurrection  of  Jesus  shed  much  light  on  that 
strange  future,  for  it  is  a  type  of  the  resurrection  of 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  605 

all.  («)  It  is  shown  that  death  does  not  bring  the 
spirit  into  a  dreamless  sleep,  nor  is  it  a  suspension  of 
its  energies.  To  the  redeemed  thief  Jesus  said: 
"  To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  Me  in  paradise  " — a  higher 
condition  of  existence  than  that  of  earth.  Death  is  a 
transition  into  a  broader  life,  intenser  consciousness, 
and  larger  intelligence  than  is  possible  on  earth.  The 
soul  will  not  be  clogged  by  flesh  and  hampered  by  the 
limitations  of  mortality  as  a  bird  is  wired  by  the  cage 
against  which  it  beats ;  but  in  the  possession  of  its 
natural  freedom  it  will  move  as  a  wave  of  light  on  the 
confines  of  new  worlds,  and  the  infinite  disclosures  of 
spiritual  mysteries  and  glories  will  eternally  greet  its 
growing  passion  for  knowledge. 

(6)  After  the  resurrection  Jesus  was  no  longer 
earthly  and  local;  he  belonged  to  a  spiritual  order; 
He  appeared  and  vanished  at  will.  One  of  His 
disciples  is  bidden  to  touch  his  hands  and  feet; 
but  as  he  reaches  to  do  so,  he  exclaims,  *'  My  Lord 
and  my  God ! "  When  He  walked  by  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  it  was  not  the  eye  of  Peter  that  first  knew 
Him,  but  John's  quicker  intuition  of  love.  At  last 
the  transformation  is  complete,  and  from  Olive's  top 
he  ascends  in  a  cloud  and  is  lost  to  earthly  sight;  He 
enters  the  unseen  Holy. 

In  that  record  we  learn  that  the  earthly  body  passes 
away  with  death.  "  Flesh  and  blood  do  not  inherit 
the  Kingdom  of  heaven."     The  "  body  of  our  humilia- 


506  AN  EASTER  SERMON. 

tion  "  will  be  "  changed  and  fashioned  like  unto  His 
glorious  body."  There  is  awaiting  the  soul  a  spiritual 
body,  seraphic  in  nature  and  celestial  in  substance. 
It  will  not  be  limited  by  the  material,  its  vision  will 
be  telescopic ;  its  powers  will  not  be  local  and  tem- 
poral ;  age  will  not  line  its  visage  nor  pain  mar  its 
beauty  nor  sorrow  corrode  its  youth.  Its  passions 
will  be  pure,  its  appetites  clean;  the  joys  of  youth 
immortal  will  forever  flow  through  its  life ;  every  fiber 
will  quiver  with  the  onrushing  strength  of  life  glori- 
ous and  eternal !  Such  is  the  "  house  not  built  with 
hands — eternal  in  the  heavens." 

(c)  With  the  passing  away  of  the  earthly  body,  all 
kinship  and  aJ0B.nities  based  on  it  will  also  perish. 
Jesus  declared  that  the  closest  of  earthly  kinship, 
marriage,  will  not  survive  death.  He  also  said  that 
His  brothers  and  sisters  were  those  who  did  His 
Father's  will.  He  forbade  the  loving  woman  to  clasp 
His  feet  after  the  resurrection,  implying  that  the  for- 
mer earthly  attachments  had  ceased.  Only  spiritual 
kinship  and  affections  are  deathless,  John  was  the 
"beloved  disciple"  before  His  death,  and  after  the 
resurrection  the  old  love  had  leaped  over  the  grave, 
and  John  was  still  the  "disciple  whom  Jesus  loved." 
Death  has  no  claim  only  on  the  flesh  and  blood  of 
mortality.  The  dust  asks  for  nothing  but  its  own. 
Love,  friendship,  spiritual  attachment,  are  not  born 
of  earth,  and  the  grave  will  not  hold  them. 


AN  EASTER  SERMON,  607 

Herein  is  answered  the  old  question  of  anxious  love, 
"  Shall  we  know  our  loved  ones  in  the  after-life? " 
Yes,  we  shall  meet  and  know  them  in  their  glorified 
state.  "We  shall  love  and  be  loved  with  intenser  affec- 
tions than  was  possible  in  our  gross  earthly  life ;  for 
affections  will  be  purified  of  all  dross  and  selfishness, 
love  will  be  "like  the  love  of  God,"  and  it  will  be 
nourished  by  food  meet  for  its  nature. 

(d)  The  resurrection  of  Jesus  throws  light  on  some 
of  the  relations  the  unseen  world  holds  to  the  present. 
After  His  resurrection  He  communed  with  His  dis- 
ciples and  promised  that  after  He  went  to  His  Father 
He  would  be  with  them  still  in  spirit  and  person ;  thus 
showing  that  there  is  a  communion,  spiritual  and  real, 
between  the  unseen  world  and  ours.  The  inspired  let- 
ters unfold  this  truth,  and  we  read :  "  Our  conversa- 
tion [living,  society]  is  in  heaven" — and  Hebrews  xii. 
22,  "Ye  are  come  [not,  "you  will  come  by  and  by," 
but  are  already  "  come  "]  unto  Mount  Zion  and  unto 
the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  to 
an  innumerable  company  of  angels  .  .  .  and  to  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect."  In  the  same  letter 
(xii.  1)  the  apostle,  after  naming  in  the  foregoing 
chapter  a  host  of  departed  saints,  who  by  faith  had 
been  crowned  victors,  and  referring  to  the  struggling 
pilgrims  of  earth,  he  writes :  "...  "We  also  are 
compassed  about  by  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses, "  as 
those  who  run  for  prizes  in  the  Grecian  games  were 


608  AN  EASTER  SERMON. 

surrounded  by  their  friends  who  cheered  and  inspired 
them  to  victory.  The  argument  of  the  comparison  is 
that  around  the  toiling  children  of  God  on  earth  are 
their  spirit  friends,  the  radiant  hosts  of  the  redeemed, 
and  they  watch  with  eager  interest  and  by  the  mysteri- 
ous influence  of  their  invisible,  presence — means  un- 
known to  mortals — they  help  and  inspire  the  saints  of 
earth;  they  are  "ministering  spirits"  to  those  who 
seek  salvation. 

This  doctrine  is  a  great  comfort  to  those  who  are 
weary  in  the  harness  of  life,  whose  trials  and  bereave- 
ments make  them  lonesome.  The  dead  are  not  dead. 
Beyond  the  grave  is  tremulous  with  life,  intelligent, 
and  loving.  The  holy  men  and  women  who  have  been 
flocking  through  the  ages  out  of  this  life  into  the  pres- 
ence of  God — they  are  not  beyond  the  memories  of 
earth,  not  beyond  its  scenes;  they  are  with  us,  for 
they  are  with  Jesus,  and  He  is  with  us.  They  are 
with  God,  and  we  who  love  God  are  also  with  Him ; 
and  it  is  this  coil  of  flesh  that  bedims  our  eyes  from 
seeing  the  holy  departed  in  their  spiritual  robes  com- 
passing, sympathizing  with,  and  cheering  the  pilgrims 
of  earth. 

This  is  the  holy  vision  of  Easter.  The  day  is  well 
represented  by  the  familiar  painting  of  a  cross  rising 
out  of  the  darkness  of  earth,  symbolizing  the  fears 
and  sorrows  of  men,  even  their  death;  and  from  an 
unknown  ethereal  region  stream  upon  it  lambent  rays 


AN  EASTER  SERMON.  609 

bathing  it  in  marvelous  glory,  an  emblem  of  the  new 
hope  and  new  life  of  man ;  and  in  the  radiance  of  that 
light  we  with  the  doubting  Thomas  of  old,  full  of  faith 
and  joy,  turn  to  Him  who  died  and  is  now  alive,  and 
say  with  the  rapture  of  love,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God !  " 


PREACHING  THE   POWER   OF   GOD. 

By  Kev.  Caleb  Samson,   Oak  Hill,  Ohio. 

For  the  preaching  of  the  cross  is  to  them  that  perish, 
foolishness :  but  unto  us  which  are  saved,  it  is  the  power  of 
God.— i  Cor.  i.  18. 

When  a  person  of  education  and  experience  forms 
the  acquaintance  of  strangers,  he  endeavors  to  ob- 
tain some  definite  information  respecting  their  mental 
state  and  aspirations,  so  that  he  may,  if  possible, 
adapt  himself  to  his  environments.  The  great  Apostle 
of  the  Gentiles  was  not  an  exception  to  this  rule. 
The  context  shows  that  he  understood  that  the  Cor- 
inthians took  interest  in  education  and  philosophy, 
which  he  here  calls  "  the  wisdom  of  this  world. "  It 
would  have  been  a  great  temptation  to  a  man  of  ordi- 
nary experience,  and  of  worldly  ambition,  to  pander 
to  these  people  by  preaching  reason,  philosophy, 
wisdom.  But  Paul,  tho  versed  in  Grecian  wisdom, 
withstood  the  temptation ;  he  was  a  strong  man,  and 
he  knew  what  the  Corinthians  needed  most.  He 
kept  the  Cross  quite  separate  from  philosophy.  He 
took  care  not  to  intermix  them.  His  preaching  was 
nothing  more  and  nothing  less  than  a  plain,  simple, 

510 


PREACHING   THE  POWER  OF  GOD.        511 

honest  presentation  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  The 
result  was  that  the  Corinthians  charged  Paul  with 
preaching  without  "the  wisdom  of  words."  This  led 
the  apostle  to  make  a  defense  of  his  style  and  man- 
ner of  preaching.  From  the  seventeenth  to  the  thirty- 
first  verse  he  gives  his  reasons  for  rejecting  the 
"  wisdom  of  this  world  "  and  standing  by  the  truths 
revealed  by  God  in  and  through  His  Son  Jesus  Christ. 
The  chief  reason  Avhich  he  gives  is  that  "  the  preach- 
ing of  the  cross  "  is  the  only  doctrine  that  tends  to 
salvation.  It  is  vain,  Paul  contends,  to  expect  ^ 
"  worldly  wisdom  "  to  cleanse  and  to  restore  the  de- 
praved nature  of  man.  The  cross  alone  can  do  that, 
therefore  he  prefers  to  stand  by  the  cross.  Corinth 
had  a  wide  reputation  for  learning,  but  the  depraved 
habits  of  her  people  kept  her  down.  Corinth  affords 
a  standing  example  of  the  inability  of  culture  to  save 
a  nation. 

Subject-matter — "The  Preaching  of  the  Cross." 

I.    The  Preaching   of  the    Cross  is  a  Revelation   of 
the  Idea  of  Salvation. 

The  idea  or  purpose  of  saving  existed  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  But  the  thought  and  plan 
of  it  were  among  the  "  secret  things  of  God  "  until 
the  fulness  of  the  time  had  come  for  the  Son  who  was 
born  of  a  woman  to  reveal  it  to  the  world.  God  en- 
tertained thoughts  of  love  for  man  before  the  moun- 


512        PREACHING  THE  POWER  OF  GOD. 

tains  were  brought  forth,  but  it  was  reserved  for  Christ 
to  show  and  to  illustrate  that  love,  and  to  bring  it 
within  the  circle  of  our  understanding. 

Electricity  is  as  old  as  creation,  but  its  discovery- 
is  a  recent  thing.  The  "  preaching  of  the  cross " 
means  God's  eternal  purpose  of  saving  the  world 
brought  down  to  practical  limits,  and  made  intelli- 
gible to  mortal  beings.  The  existence  of  a  scheme 
or  system  in  the  mind  is  one  thing,  but  it  is  another 
question  to  convert  it  into  a  practical  fact,  and  it 
must  come  to  that  before  it  can  be  a  blessing  to  the 
world.  There  have  been  many  schemes  in  the  heart 
of  man  that  never  saw  the  light  of  day.  However 
intense  the  love  of  God  in  the  "  thoughts  of  peace  " 
entertained  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  it  could 
not  benefit  poor  humanity  unless  manifested  in  a 
practical  manner.  Herein  lies  the  condemnation  that 
light  has  been  brought  into  the  world,  and  yet  men 
love  darkness  rather  than  the  light.  The  nature  and 
extent  of  the  revelation  of  God's  love  made  in  the 
life  and  death  of  Christ  leave  the  disobedient  hear- 
ers of  the  Gospel  without  an  excuse. 

II.   The  Preaching  of  the   Cross  is  a  Fact. 

A  principle  or  an  idea  can  be  made  clear  without 
being  true.  To  say  that  a  thing  may  be  understood 
is  not  equivalent  to  saying  it  is  true  in  fact.  But 
the  doctrine  of  the  cross  is  not  only  easy  to  be  under- 


06  o  o  o 


mm 


p¥  ^^ 


^^' 


o  o  b  o 


PREACHING   THE  POWER  OF  GOD.        513 

stood,  but  it  is  true.  It  can  stand  the  light;  it  has 
stood  it  for  eighteen  hundred  years.  If  the  preach- 
ing of  the  cross  were  a  lie,  we  would  be  the  most  mis- 
erable of  all  men.  But  it  is  not  so.  The  wonderful 
works  of  our  Savior  and  His  apostles;  the  experi- 
ences and  lives  of  the  saints  in  all  ages  and  lands  tes- 
tify to  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  that  through  the 
blood  of  the  cross  alone  can  the  world  be  saved. 

III.   The  Preaching  of  the   Cross  is  of  Great  Value. 

Who  can  estimate  the  worth  of  steam-power  or  the 
sailor' s  compass  or  electricity  ?  Imagine  for  a  moment 
their  effect  upon  human  happiness  and  upon  the  cause 
of  civilization !  It  is  beyond  computation.  But  the 
worth  of  electricity  and  steam-power  sinks  into  insig- 
nificance when  compared  with  the  worth  of  the  Gos- 
pel— the  preaching  of  the  cross.  Look  at  the  effect 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  upon  labor,  childhood, 
home,  literature,  philosophy,  and  slavery!  It  has 
verily  turned  the  world  upside  down. 

IV.  The  Doctrine  of  the   Cross  is  Infinitely  Mich. 

The  earth  is  rich,  the  sea  is  rich,  but  these  riches 
are  as  nothing  compared  with  the  riches  of  the  Gos- 
pel. These  are  inexhaustible,  these  are  everlasting. 
Man's  needs  are  great  and  deep.  He  needs  mercy. 
He  needs  sanctification.  He  needs  spiritual  sight  in 
death.    He  needs  the  hope  of  immortality.     He  needs 


514        PREACHING   THE  POWER  OF  GOD. 

what  earth,    sky,   sea  can   not  give;    but  he  needs 
nothing  which  the  preaching  of  the  cross  can  not  give. 

V.  The  Preaching  of  the  Cross  is  to  be  Made  Known 

Throughout  the  Whole  World,  and  the  Purposes 
of  God  Are  to  be  Realized. 

Many  parts  of  the  earth  are  yet  without  the 
cross.  They  have  no  knowledge  of  Christ  or  of  sal- 
vation, or  of  heaven  and  hell.  They  live  in  dark- 
ness. It  is  God's  purpose  that  the  whole  earth  should 
be  covered  with  the  knowledge  of  the  crucified,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea.  There  are  diflGculties,  and  great 
difficulties — the  spirit  of  caste,  difference  of  language, 
of  habits,  of  blood,  and  a  great  many  other  difficul- 
ties; but  what  is  impossible  with  man  is  possible 
with  God. 

VI.  The  Different  Effects    of  the    Preaching    of  the 

Cross  upon  the  Hearers  of  the  Gospel. 

"  To  them  that  perish  it  is  foolishness:  but  unto  us 
which  are  saved,  it  is  the  power  of  God." 

The  hearers  of  the  Gospel  are  here  divided  into  two 
classes — "lost"  and  "saved."  Each  of  these  has 
an  idea  concerning  the  plan  of  God  to  save  the  world. 

The  Gospel  compels  men  to  form  some  judgment 
concerning  it.  All  have  not  the  same  mind  or  judg- 
ment.    To  the  lost,  it  is  "  foolishness  " ;  to  the  saved, 


PREACHING  THE  POWER  OF  GOD.        515 

it  is  the  "  power  of  God."  The  bearing  or  conduct  of 
men  toward  the  Gospel  is  the  ground  or  standard  of 
their  judgment  upon  it. 

The  opinion  or  judgment  of  the  "  lost "  is  that  it  is 
foolishness.  They  regard  it  as  a  doctrine  unworthy 
of  credence — unworthy  of  acceptance.  The  system  of 
salvation  is  so  spiritual  that  the  carnally  minded  can 
not  appreciate  its  worth.  Unbelievers  and  scoffers  are 
not  competent  to  judge  of  Christianity.  The  blind 
know  nothing  of  colors ;  the  deaf  nothing  of  harmony. 
So  the  unbeliever  can  not  enter  into  the  spirit  and  mean- 
ing* of  the  Gospel.  He  is  not  qualified  to  pronounce 
a  judgment  upon  its  merits.  An  infidel  philosopher 
spoke  disparagingly  one  time  of  religion  iu  the  hear- 
ing of  Sir  Isaac  Newton.  Sir  Isaac  told  him  that  he 
was  prepared  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say  upon  any 
subject  except  religion — such  as  astronomy  and  kin- 
dred subjects — for  religion  was  a  matter  of  which  he 
knew  nothing. 

But  is  the  preaching  of  the  cross  "  foolishness  "  ? 
If  *'  foolishness, "  how  was  it  that  Thomas  Paine  in  his 
last  hours  called  for  the  help  of  Jesus?  If  "foolish- 
ness," how  is  it  that  ungodly  men,  when  death  stares 
them  in  the  face,  desire  the  consolations  of  the  minis- 
ter and  the  church? 

Who  is  it  that  says  that  the  Gospel  is  foolishness? 
Not  the  angels,  not  the  devils,  not  the  saints.  Who 
then?     The  lost,  the  disobedient  hearers  of  the  Gos- 


616        PREACHING  THE  POWER  OF  GOD. 

pel,  the  \mbelievers ;  and  these  change  their  mind 
when  they  reach  the  borders  of  the  Jordan. 

The  opinion  of  those  who  are  saved  is  that  the 
Gospel,  or  the  preaching  of  the  cross,  is  the  power 
of  God. 

Change  of  state  leads  to  a  change  of  opinion  con- 
cerning the  plan  and  purpose  of  God  to  save  the 
world  through  Christ.  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  ashamed 
of  the  Gospel,  but  Paul  was  not.  There  are  millions 
like  him.  Old  sinners  who  for  years  defied  the  most 
powerful  appeals,  scorning  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ, 
have  been  brought  to  feel  and  to  acknowledge  its 
power  and  virtue.  Its  power  was  felt  by  thousands 
in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  in  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation, and  even  in  our  day.  Its  power  is  equal  to 
the  most  serious  cases.  This  is  the  great  hope  of  the 
world. 

The  question  is,  To  which  of  these  two  parties 
do  we  belong?  Are  we  among  the  "  lost "  or  the 
"saved"?  You  who  are  among  the  lost  can  be 
brought  within  the  field.     Do  you  believe? 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

Rev.  Benjamin  D.  Thomas,  D.D.,  Toronto, 
Canada. 

"Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate  ;  for  wide  is  the  gate,  and 
broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many  there 
be  which  go  in  thereat.  Because  strait  is  the  gate,  and 
narrow  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be 
that  find  it.  "—Matt.  vii.  13,  14. 

This  is  one  of  the  great  utterances  of  Our  Lord. 
Like  everything  that  ever  issued  from  His  lips,  it  is 
profoundly  suggestive.  He  spoke  with  authority  be- 
cause He  spoke  from  knowledge.  No  one  ever  ad- 
dressed human  souls  with  such  insight  into  their  ex- 
periences and  needs,  and  certain  is  it  that  no  one  ever 
approximated  to  Him  in  the  uncompromising  honesty 
with  which  He  adapted  His  teaching  to  the  conditions 
which  prevailed  around  Him.  He  was  incomparable 
both  in  His  message  and  in  His  ministry.  There  are 
few  instances  in  which  life  and  destiny  and  the 
trembling  responsibilities  hanging  upon  every  passing 
instant  were  more  vividly  and  solemnly  portrayed. 
"Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate,"  or,  according  to  the 
corresponding  passage  in  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  "  Strive 
517 


518     THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate, "  etc.  The  theme  which 
I  believe  to  be  enfolded  in  these  words,  and  which  it 
will  be  my  aim,  God  helping  me,  to  develop  and  en- 
force, is  the  supreme  acquisition  of  being. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  the  worthi- 
ness of  this  theme  to  claim  the  thoughtful  attention 
of  any  company  of  immortal  beings.  It  is  truly  a 
great  theme.  It  bears  upon  human  life  in  its  eternal 
relations.  It  is  the  urgent  message  of  infinite  love  to 
every  man  as  he  enters  upon  the  untrodden  way  of 
his  existence.  It  is  burdened  with  the  solemnity  that 
arises  from  possible  failure.  It  glows  with  the  ear- 
nestness of  an  intelligent  solicitude.  It  presses  upon 
reason  and  conscience  for  rational  and  immediate 
action.  It  holds  out  before  human  souls  a  supernal 
good  and  calls  upon  them  at  any  sacrifice  to  realize 
it.  "Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate,"  etc.  "Strive 
to  enter  in." 

Let  me  invite  you,  then,  to  consider  this  acquisition 
which  I  have  been  pleased  to  put  at  the  very  acme  of 
attainment;  which  I  have  deemed  worthy  of  a  fore- 
most place  in  your  thought  and  ambition ;  toward  the 
realization  of  which  you  should  bend  every  energy  of 
your  souls. 

I.  What  is  the  Supreme  Acquisition  of  Being? 

That  is  the  first  question  that  I  must  endeavor  to 
answer.  We  must  have  clearly  defined  thoughts  in 
regard  to  it  before  we  can  intelligently  proceed  to  its 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     519 

discussion.  A  mistake  in  respect  to  the  thing  itself 
toward  which  we  are  urged  to  aspire  must  result  in 
confusion  and  uncertainty.  It  is  generally  supposed 
to  be  heaven,  but  our  text  says  that  it  is  life,  and  there 
is  a  very  great  difference  between  the  two  conceptions. 
The  strait  gate  here  referred  to  certainly  does  lead 
into  the  Kingdom  of  heaven,  but  only  because  it  first 
of  all  leads  into  a  quality  of  being  which  makes  the 
existence  of  that  Kingdom  possible. 

Our  Lord's  great  aim  in  the  whole  of  His  earthly 
ministry  was  not  to  get  men  and  women  into  heaven, 
but  into  life.  This  striving  merely  to  get  to  heaven 
is  not  only  not  in  harmony  with  the  Christian  idea, 
but  directly  contrary  to  it.  If  your  aim  is  simply  to 
get  to  heaven,  it  may  be  well  that  you  should  know 
that  the  road  you  are  on  does  not  lead  in  that  direc- 
tion. The  condition  must  precede  the  realization. 
There  is  something  of  immeasurably  greater  impor- 
tance than  getting  to  heaven,  and  that  is  procuring  a 
character  in  which  the  essential  elements  of  infinite  fe- 
licity and  usefulness  inhere.  Salvation  is  not  merely 
an  act  whereby  the  soul  is  rescued  from  hell,  its  chief 
virtue  consists  in  producing  a  quality  of  being  upon 
which  no  fires  of  hell  can  kindle.  In  the  Christian 
conception  the  all-important  matter  is  life.  Christ 
does  not  invite  to  experiences  that  are  pleasurable  and 
delightful,  but  rather  to  that  which  is  their  certain 
inspiration.     "  Ye  will  not   come  unto  me    that  ye 


520     THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

might  have  life."  The  gift  of  God  is  not  some- 
thing that  we  are  selfishly  to  enjoy,  but  something 
which  we  are  to  receive  into  our  inmost  being  and 
work  out  in  character.  There  is  not  a  little  in  so- 
called  religious  teaching  which  is  false  and  mislead- 
ing. Motives  are  appealed  to  which  are  utterly  un- 
worthy of  the  Christian  name.  Men  are  told  that  if 
they  only  comply  with  the  Divine  requirements, 
they  shall  have  this  or  that  immunity,  this  or  that 
blessedness ;  that  may  be  verily  true,  but  only  as  the 
result  of  possessing  something  which  is  more  valu- 
able than  either.  Is  it  not  more  consonant  with  the 
dignity  of  the  Christian  ministry  and  with  the  spirit 
and  genius  of  the  revelation  with  which  we  have  been 
entrusted  to  lay  the  emphasis  upon  the  life?  That  is 
the  supreme  acquisition — that  is  the  attainment  which 
makes  every  desirable  and  felicitous  experience  pos- 
sible. The  ideal  toward  which  all  that  Christ  did  and 
suffered  to  realize  is  found  in  Himself.  He  is  the  pat- 
tern man.  The  mission  of  Christianity  is  to  produce 
men  after  that  type.  If  it  fails  here,  it  fails  utterly. 
It  is  not  an  economy  of  rescue  but  of  recreation.  The 
fundamental  purpose  of  redemption,  with  all  that  it 
includes,  is  character — a  quality  of  life  that  is  Christ- 
like. "  I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and  that 
they  might  have  it  more  abundantly."  Not  heaven 
then,  but  character ;  not  happiness,  but  a  supernatu- 
ralized  manhood,  is  the  supreme  acquisition  of  being. 


TUB  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     521 

This  larger  conception  will  necessitate  a  higher 
ideal  than  has  ordinarily  been  entertained.  The 
strait  gate  leads  into  life,  rich,  regnant,  potential.  It 
is  not  sufficient  for  you  to  say :  "I  do  not  swear," 
"  I  do  not  drink  of  the  intoxicating  cup,"  "I  do  not 
gamble, "  "  I  do  not  indulge  in  any  practises  that  are 
mean  and  dishonest,"  "I  do  not  use  my  tongue  de- 
ceitfully, nor  do  aught  in  fact  that  would  be  obnox- 
ious to  a  refined  moralist  or  a  devout  Christian. "  You 
are  not  to  suppose  because  you  can  bear  such  a  record 
of  your  conduct  that  you  have  reached  the  acme  to 
which  our  text  incites.  That  is  not  the  life  into  which 
the  strait  gate  and  narrow  way  lead.  Christianity 
is  vastly  mor6  than  an  immaculate  negativism.  The 
goodness  that  consists  in  not  doing  the  evil,  in  ab- 
staining from  whatever  is  disreputable  and  injurious 
is,  with  all  its  admirableness,  a  very  unripe  kind  of 
fruit.  It  is  not  fit  for  the  banqueting-table  of  the 
King.  The  dear  souls  that  are  so  good  that  they 
would  turn  up  their  eyes  in  holy  horror  at  the  slight- 
est indulgences  that  they  have  learned  to  consider 
sinful,  and  yet  have  no  sympathy — no  bowels  of  com- 
passion— no  real  generosity  of  heart — no  directly 
positive  excellences  of  life,  are  an  offense  and  reproach 
rather  than  an  honor  and  praise.  We  have  been  mak- 
ing too  much  of  this  goody-goody  sort  of  Christianity. 
People  who  are  mightily  punctilious  about  the  ex- 
ternals of  religion,  who    are   painfully  devout  (if   I 


522     THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

might  be  pardoned  the  expression),  who  would  attend 
religious  meetings  every  day  in  the  week  to  the 
neglect  of  the  legitimate  and  urgent  duties  of  life, 
who  talk  with  saintly  unctuousness  about  the  dear 
Lord  and  poor  dying  sinners,  while  they  are  not 
sweet  in  their  temper  or  charitable  in  their  judg- 
ment or  self-sacrificing  in  their  spirit,  have  been  re- 
cognized too  often  as  the  highest  models  of  the  Chris- 
tian quality. 

Why  were  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  condemned  by 
our  Lord  in  such  scathing  language?  Not  because 
their  negative  virtues  were  not  numerous ;  not  because 
they  were  lacking  in  religiosity ;  not  because  they  had 
many  and  glaring  faults,  for  they  were  extremely 
careful  in  respect  of  their  behavior  and  deportment. 
They  were  condemned  because  they  had  no  positive 
qualities  of  excellence. 

The  common  idea  of  Christianity  needs  to  be  ele- 
vated. It  is  not  the  poor,  vapid,  jejune  thing  which 
has  too  frequently  borne  the  name.  I  am  afraid  that 
what  has  sometimes  been  held  up  to  us  as  a  representa- 
tion has  been  little  better  than  a  caricature.  You  will 
remember  Carlyle's  aphorism  of  one  of  the  Stuart 
kings :  "  He  never  said  a  foolish  thing,  and  he  never 
did  a  wise  one."  His  greatest  excellence  was  that  he 
had  no  faults,  and  his  greatest  fault  was  that  he  had 
no  excellences.  A  character  that  is  simply  an  ag- 
gregation of  negatives,  and  which  is  deficient  in  all 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     623 

that  is  definite  and  positive,  does  not  come  up  to  the 
true  Scriptural  ideal. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  for  a  moment  that  I  depre- 
ciate the  importance  of  the  negative  virtues.  They 
are  necessary  and  essential  as  they  stand  related  to 
the  richer  and  fuller  life.  The  Apostle  Paul,  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  says :  "  But  now  ye  also  put 
off  all  these :  anger,  wrath,  malice,  blasphemy,  filthy 
communication,"  etc.  But  this  is  not  sufficient. 
This  is  but  preparatory  to  something  better.  He 
goes  on  very  speedily  to  say :  *'  Put  on  therefore,  as  the 
elect  of  God  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercy, 
kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  meekness,  long-suffer- 
ing," etc.  You  must  put  off  the  bad  before  you  can 
put  on  the  good.  It  is  vain  that  you  attempt  to  de- 
velop the  higher  graces  of  the  divine  life  until  you 
have  made  a  clean  sweep  of  your  sins.  You  have 
seen  a  painter  at  an  important  piece  of  work.  How 
does  he  go  about  it?  He  first  burns  off  the  old  paint; 
he  uses  knife  and  fire  until  the  wood  stands  out  clear 
of  all  its  old  dirty  covering  as  it  was  when  originally 
cut  out  of  the  parent  tree,  and  then  he  proceeds  upon 
the  clean  surface  according  to  his  ability  to  produce 
results  that  will  bear  inspection  and  command  ap- 
proval. He  would  not  dream,  if  he  understood  his 
work  and  had  any  regard  for  his  reputation,  to  pro- 
ceed until  he  had  a  clean  surface  to  operate  upon.  It 
would  be  a  complete  failure  if  ho  did.     The  same  is 


524    THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

true  of  character.  You  must  put  off  the  old  sinful, 
worldly  qualities  before  you  can  put  on  the  new  forms 
of  spiritual  excellence.  That  is  the  divine  order  and 
none  other  is  practicable.  You  can  not  live  in  sin 
and  grow  in  grace.  You  can  not  hold  on  to  your  old 
sinful  delights  and  yet  love  God  and  holiness.  You 
can  not  be  in  the  service  of  Satan  and  clothed  in 
Christ's  righteousness  at  one  and  the  same  time. 
You  must  put  off  the  old  man  with  his  affections  and 
lusts  before  you  can  put  on  the  new  man.  The 
prodigal  was  stripped  even  to  nakedness  before  the 
best  robe  was  put  on  him.  It  is  poor,  miserable 
work  to  cover  rags,  or  to  bring  out  qualities  of  ex- 
quisite spiritual  beauty  upon  a  surface  that  has  not 
been  prepared  therefor  by  the  most  rigorous  process. 
The  great  matter,  however,  the  supreme  matter — 
the  matter  in  relation  to  which  everything  else  is  but 
preparatory  and  incidental — is  life,  rich,  full,  abun- 
dant life.  The  door  into  the  palace  is  not  beautiful 
simply  because  the  old  paint  has  been  burned  out  of  it ; 
the  tree  is  not  to  be  pronounced  excellent  because  it 
does  not  bear  poor  fruit ;  a  man  is  not  spiritually  admir- 
able because  he  does  not  give  himself  up  to  open  un- 
godliness. The  individual  spoken  of  in  one  of  our 
Lord's  inimitable  parables,  who  hid  his  talent  in  the 
ground,  was  very  conscientious;  he  was  extremely 
careful  even  not  to  expose  himself  to  the  possibility  of 
misusing  his  lord's  money.     He  did  not  employ  it  for 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     525 

unhallowed  ends ;  he  did  not  speculate  with  it ;  he 
would  not  imperil  his  master's  capital  by  even  pla- 
cing it  in  the  bank,  he  simply  kept  it  intact — he  hid  it 
in  the  ground,  and  when  the  day  of  reckoning  came  he 
said:  "  Lord,  there  thou  hast  that  is  thine."  I  sup- 
pose that  man  would  generally  be  commended  for  his 
prudence,  but  our  Lord  did  not  so  estimate  his  con- 
duct. He  was  as  guilty  in  His  sight  as  the  veriest 
robber.  "  Thou  wicked  and  slothful  servant."  You 
tell  me  that  you  have  put  ofif  this,  that,  and  the  other, 
but  what  have  you  put  on?  You  tell  me  that  you 
have  not  wasted  your  Lord's  money,  but  what  use 
have  you  made  of  it?  You  assume  to  be  very  good, 
but  are  you  good  for  something  ?  You  have  put  off 
Satan,  but  have  you  put  on  Christ  ?  The  true  life 
really  begins  at  this  point.  You  are  a  poor,  naked 
specimen  of  redeeming  grace  until  you  are  clothed 
upon  with  His  righteousness,  until  you  live  as  He 
lived,  love  as  He  loved,  forgive  as  He  forgave,  sacrifice 
as  He  sacrificed,  until  you  grow  up  unto  Him  as  your 
ideal  and  embody  in  your  character  the  principles 
which  He  incarnated  and  glorified. 

I  desire  for  you,  as  I  desire  for  myself,  a  life  that  is 
rich,  and  strong,  and  noble — a  life  "according  to 
Jesus  Christ" — a  life  that  has  depth  in  it — fulness  in 
it — purposefulness  in  it — a  life  that  appeals  to  the 
highest  and  noblest  that  is  in  us.  I  am  tired  of  that 
sickly,  decrepit,  inglorious   thing   that  has  only  just 


526     THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

sufficient  vitality  to  keep  itself  from  perishing,  that 
is  all  the  time  saying :  "  May  I  not  do  this,  and  that, 
and  the  other  questionable  thing,  and  yet  retain  the 
integrity  of  my  Christian  character?  " — that  is,  spend- 
ing precious  time  in  removing  wrinkles  and  humors 
that  would  disappear  of  themselves  with  a  little 
healthy  exercise. 

II.  How  is  this  supreme  acquisition  of  being  to  be 
realized? 

"A  strait  gate  and  a  narrow  way  stands  between 
yon  and  it."  You  must  struggle,  strive,  agonize  to 
enter  into  it.  Let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  I 
am  not  speaking  of  the  Christian  life  in  its  incipiency, 
in  its  embryonic  stage,  in  its  pupilage,  but  of  the 
Christian  life  in  the  fulness  of  its  manifold  possibili- 
ties. The  entrance  into  the  former  is  very  simple 
and  easy.  All  you  have  to  do  as  a  condition  is  to  ac- 
cept the  free  gift  of  infinite  grace.  A  man  or  a  child 
becomes  a  Christian  the  instant  he  believes,  but  there 
are  heights  of  possibility  and  experience  which  are 
not  reached  in  that  way.  Christ  is  speaking  of  these. 
Every  man  born  into  this  world  has  life,  but  only  the 
few  have  attained  to  the  rare  inheritances  of  knowl- 
edge and  power  to  which  it  invites.  Every  man 
who  sincerely  believes  on  Jesus  Christ  is  born  again, 
has  been  introduced  into  a  realm  of  infinite  possibili- 
ties, but  the  great  multitude  have  not  attained  to 
them.     The  supreme  acquisition  of  being  is  yet  in 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     527 

the  prospective.  You  must  come  to  Christ  by  faith 
before  you  can  enter  into  the  strait  gate  and  narrow 
way  that  leads  into  it,  but  you  may  be  a  Christian 
and  fail  of  its  realization.  If  I  mistake  not,  these 
words  were  spoken  to  those  who  were  already  dis- 
ciples. "And  seeing  the  multitude  he  went  up  into 
a  mountain,  and  when  he  was  set  his  disciples  came  to 
him,  and  he  opened  his  mouth  and  taught  them." 

It  is  the  larger  life,  the  fuller  life,  the  life  in  which 
spiritual  principles  are  regnant,  in  which  Jesus  Christ 
is  enthroned,  that  you  are  urged  to  aspire  to  with  the 
utmost  striving. 

Let  it  not  be  deemed  strange  that  a  strait  gate  and 
a  narrow  way  should  intervene  between  you  and  it. 
This  is  the  case  with  respect  to  every  form  of  larger 
living.  There  is  no  inheritance  worth  possessing 
which  does  not  present  to  the  aspirant  a  strait  gate. 
The  acquisition  of  knowledge,  of  power,  of  influence, 
of  success  is  possible  only  as  men  face  the  strait 
gate  and  the  narrow  way.  Broad  is  the  way  that 
leadeth  to  incompetency  and  failure,  and  many  there 
be  that  go  in  thereat;  and  narrow  is  the  way  that 
leadeth  to  eflficiency  and  success,  and  few  there  be  that 
find  it.  Some  of  you  are  here  to-day  enjoying  the  ripe 
fruitage  of  a  land  that  you  had  to  strive  to  enter.  The 
strait  gate  of  self-mastery  and  the  narrow  way  of 
mental  application  that  opened  into  the  green  fields  of 
intellectual  delights  and  into  orchards  and  gardens  that 


628     THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

have  dropped  their  ripe  clusters  into  your  bosoms  have 
not  been  forgotten.  They  remain  as  an  imperishable 
reminiscence. 

The  same  law  is  imperious  with  respect  to  that  life 
which  is  highest,  with  respect  to  that  acquisition 
which  is  supreme.  ''Strait  is  the  gate."  You  can 
not  become  royal  men — men  of  Christ-like  qualities, 
men  of  rich  spiritual  experience,  and  abounding  spir- 
itual life,  without  striving  for  it.  It  means  an  acqui- 
sition which  challenges  the  best  energies  of  the  soul. 
"  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate. " 

And  is  it  not  worth  the  effort?  What  saith  the 
student  who  has  been  ushered  into  a  world  of  alluring 
experiences  and  delights  of  which  the  uninitiated  mul- 
titude are  prof oundly  ignorant?  What  saith  the  mer- 
chant who  has  learned  to  master  the  details  of  a  large 
establishment,  and  who,  because  of  the  proficiency 
which  he  has  acquired,  is  able  to  surround  himself 
with  luxury  and  elegance?  What  saith  the  states- 
man whose  brow  is  garlanded  with  the  laurels  of  a 
nation's  appreciation  and  gratitude?  Are  not  the 
strait  gate  and  narrow  way  glorified  in  the  memory 
of  all  such  lives?  And  surely  the  Christian  who  has 
ascended  the  heights  of  spiritual  attainment,  whose 
feet  stand  upon  the  summit  of  the  mount  of  vision, 
who  has  been  transfigured  by  beholding  the  glory  of 
God  and  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  prepared  to  bear  a 
like  testimony.     "Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate." 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     529 

III.  It  remains  now  only  that  I  should  touch  upon 
the  influences  that  may  tempt  you  to  treat  as  of  tri- 
fling concern  the  supreme  acquisition  of  being. 

1  shall  not  attempt  to  sweep  the  hemisphere  of 
vision.  I  might  spend  the  whole  evening  in  bring- 
ing into  recognition  the  darker  currents  of  evil  that 
are  all  the  time  surging  up  against  your  souls.  We 
know  that  they  are  numerous  and  strong,  and  that  the 
fortifications  need  to  be  of  no  ordinary  masonry  to 
resist  their  influence.  It  can  not  have  failed  to  im- 
press itself  upon  you,  as  you  have  looked  out  upon  the 
■world,  that  multitudes  seem  to  be  but  slightly  affected 
by  considerations  that  are  high  and  holy.  The  ag- 
gregate of  human  society  seem  to  live  and  move  and 
have  their  being  in  the  realm  of  the  sensuous.  The 
one  imperious  cry  of  their  nature  is:  "  What  shall  we 
eat?  What  shall  we  drink?  and.  How  shall  we  have 
a  general  good  time?  "  Their  tastes  grovel  and  their 
very  ambitions  flounder  in  the  mire  of  sensuous  de- 
light. Now,  why  is  this?  There  are  just  two  reasons 
I  would  offer  for  the  sad  prevalence  of  this  state  of 
things,  and  for  the  general  tendency  to  treat  as  of 
trifling  concern  the  supreme  acquisition  of  being. 

1.  False  views  of  life.  They  look  at  the  seen  and 
fail  to  apprehend  the  unseen.  They  measure  values 
by  their  glow  and  glitter,  rather  than  by  their  real 
qualities.  They  sacrifice  the  permanent  good  for  the 
momentary  titillatiou  of  their  sensibilities.  The  boy 
34 


530     THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

at  school  has  offered  to  him  a  heritage  of  knowledge 
and  a  disciplined  mind,  but  he  turns  away  from  them 
to  indulge  in  pastimes  and  in  sports.  The  man  of 
pleasure  is  invited  into  avenues  of  industry  which 
give  promise  of  most  satisfying  results,  but  he  allows 
his  appetites  to  dash  the  golden  chalice  from  his  lips. 
The  worldling  says,  "  I  have  enough  to  do  to  attend 
to  one  world,"  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  •'  the  worlds 
are  hung  in  clusters,  and  that  to  live  for  one  is  to  lose 
that  and  all  other  worlds  besides."  The  great  mis- 
take is  one  of  vision.  Life  is  a  thing  of  sensations 
rather  than  of  principles ;  of  possessions  rather  than 
of  qualities ;  of  temporal  rather  than  of  eternal  sig- 
nificance. 

When  religion  asserts  the  claims  of  the  higher  na- 
ture and  seeks  to  broaden  out  the  life,  to  touch  the 
eternities,  these  puerile  conceptions  come  in  to  defeat 
the  magnificent  consummation. 

Another  reason  is — 

2.  An  unwillingness  to  submit  to  the  conditions. 
The  gate  is  strait  and  the  way  is  narrow.  This  is 
not  an  arbitrary  arrangement,  however ;  it  is  not  the 
Divine  purpose  to  make  the  way  of  life  as  difficult  and 
unpleasant  as  possible.  The  imagery  was  not  in- 
tended to  convey  the  idea,  which  is  all  too  common, 
that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  consists  in  renimcia- 
tion  and  self-surrender  merely ;  in  giving  up  this  and 
that  and  the  other.     The  gate   is  strait  not  in  the 


THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING.     531 

sense  of  limitation,  but  as  the  gate  to  every  high  at- 
tainment must  be :  "  You  must  be  a  broad  man  to  enter 
into  this  narrow  way."  You  must  have  a  high  ideal 
and  an  earnest  purpose  to  actualize  it.  It  is  not  for 
self-indulgent  weaklings  but  for  those  who  have  caught 
a  vision  of  the  glory  of  the  invisible  realms  above 
them,  and  are  determined  at  whatever  cost  to  bask  in 
its  effulgence.  It  is  really  only  the  elite  of  society, 
those  who  have  awakened  to  the  unutterable  possi- 
bilities of  their  nature,  and  who  have  begun  to  expand 
in  the  quality  of  their  manhood  as  the  great  God  has 
revealed  to  them  the  purposes  of  His  grace,  that  can 
enter  through  the  "  strait  gate  and  into  the  narrow 

way." 

The  language  as  thus  understood  implies  tremen- 
dous urgency.  Strive  because  the  consequences  of 
neglect  are  appalling.  Strive  because  the  conditions 
of  success  are  inexorable.  Strive  because  the  possi- 
bilities of  attainment  are  sublime. 

Now  if  the  supreme  acquisition  be  what  I  have 
represented  it,  life,  character,  quality  of  manhood, 
then  what  of  it?  Have  you  realized  it?  Are  you  in 
the  way  of  realizing  it?  Are  you  with  the  many  who 
fail,  or  with  the  few  who  succeed?  Has  the  narrow 
way  repelled  you,  or  has  the  broad  way  fascinated 
you?  Where  are  you  at  this  moment?  What  are  the 
prospects  ahead  of  you?  Momentous  questions  all 
Let  them  not  be  asked  to  unresponsive  hearts. 


632    THE  SUPREME  ACQUISITION  OF  BEING. 

And  now  lest  there  be  one  of  you  rather  discouraged 
than  inspired  by  the  ideal  I  have  presented,  let  me 
assure  you  that  there  is  a  great  Power  that  makes  for 
righteousness,  that  all  the  resources  of  the  Godhead 
are  at  the  command  of  the  feeblest  soul  that  aspires. 
You  may  not  become  a  great  philosopher,  or  poet,  or 
artist,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  each  one  of  you  may 
not  become  a  great  saint,  a  strong,  rich,  royal  man. 


THE   NECESSITY    OF    CHRIST'S    SUF- 
FERINGS. 

By  Rev.   H.  J.  Whitby,  A.S.A.,   B.D.,  Emporia, 
Kansas. 

"Behoved  it  not  the  Christ  to  suffer  these  things,  and  to 
enter  into  his  glory?" — Luke  xxiv.  26. 

The  disciples  had  witnessed  the  sad  rites  which  had 
been  hastily  performed  over  Christ's  remains.  It  was 
a  very  sad  day  for  them.  The  great  sun  of  their  hope, 
which  had  risen  so  beautifully  and  so  entraucingly  in 
the  person  of  the  Redeemer,  had  gone  out  in  the  gloom 
and  dar'  ness  of  Calvary.  They  were  the  most  miser- 
able of  men.  Not  only  had  they  lost  the  Christ,  but 
they  had  lost  the  world  of  hopes  and  expectations  which 
had  grown  up  about  Him.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  followers  of  Jesus  were  tainted  by,  if  not  indeed 
completely  possessed  of,  the  political  and  exclusively 
Jewish  notion  of  the  Messiah.  Whatever  idea  of 
spoils  had  been  connected  with  the  nation  in  the  aver- 
age Jewish  mind,  it  was  also  connected  by  the  disciples 
with  the  movement  of  which  Christ  had  been  the  cen- 
ter. It  is  not,  therefore,  surprising  that  when  Jesus 
was  making  His  last  memorable  journey  to  Jerusalem 
533 


534    NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS. 

that  two  of  His  disciples,  thinking  that  He  was  about 
to  establish  His  kingdom,  should  hurriedly  and  in  an 
unseemly  manner  apply  for  the  positions  of  honor 
which,  according  to  tradition,  would  be  at  His  disposal. 
The  crucifixion  shattered  these  delusive  hopes  and  left 
their  possessors  in  a  condition  of  bewilderment. 

The  two  men  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  in  their  con- 
versation with  the  undiscovered  Christ,  admit  us  to 
the  secret  hopes  and  expectations  of  the  Savior's  fol- 
lowers. "  We  hoped  that  it  was  he  which  should 
redeem  Israel. "  The  hope  was  correct  so  far  as  it  cen- 
tered in  Jesus  as  the  Author  of  redemption,  but  in- 
correct so  far  as  it  had  appropriated  current  Messianic 
conceptions.  The  destruction  of  these  old  conceptions 
was  necessary  that  Christ  should  bring  in  His  own 
pure  and  spiritual  expositions ;  and  forthwith  He  be- 
gins the  work  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  reconstruc- 
tion. What  had  transpired  was  not  only  in  deepest 
accord  with  the  Divine  decrees,  but  was  also  a  result 
of  the  incarnation.  "  Behoved  it  not  the  Christ  to 
suffer  these  things  and  enter  into  his  glory?  " 

Some  of  the  reasons  for  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Jesus  Christ: 

I.  Because  of  the  solidarity  of  the  race  of  which  He 
was  a  member.  The  race  as  God  regards  it  and  as  it 
proceeds  from  Him  is  one.  The  eternal  Fatherhood  of 
God  which  Jesus  Christ  announced  implies  a  common 
brotherhood.     Wherever  we  are,  whatever  our  condi- 


NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS.     535 

tion,  rich  or  poor,  learned  or  unlearned,  we  are  com- 
pelled, even  against  our  own  inclinations  at  times,  to 
confess  a  common  Father.  Even  if  science  should 
establish  a  plurality  of  origins  to  the  different  races  of 
men  on  the  physical  side,  the  similarity  of  life,  of 
principles,  and  of  feelings  which  manifests  itself  in 
the  history  of  the  races  as  thus  far  known  points  un- 
mistakably to  a  common  origin.  Revelation  and  phi- 
losophy agree  in  teaching  us  to  say.  Our  Father  which 
art  in  heaven.  Our  expression  of  life's  "  relationship  " 
must  correspond  to  the  intuitions  of  the  purest-minded 
men,  of  even  a  Christ.  It  never  occurred  to  Him  to 
deny  this  common  relationship.  It  never  occurred  to 
Him  to  set  aside  any  obligation  which  originated  in  it. 
The  race  was  made  in  Him.  The  incarnation  was 
based  upon  a  relationship  which  preceded  it.  It  was 
the  Christ  coming  unto  His  own.  Sin  did  not  destroy 
this  relationship,  altho  it  modified  the  form  of  the 
Chi-ist's  life  and  determined  that  whenever  He  should 
come.  He  should  come  in  suffering  and  in  sorrow.  As 
the  chief  member  of  the  race,  as  the  cause  of  its  exist- 
ence, as  the  head  in  which  all  the  parts  are  integrated. 
He  was  possessed  of  a  world-consciousness  after  which 
we  are  but  dimly  feeling.  "  It  became  Him  for  whom 
are  all  things  and  through  whom  are  all  things,  in 
bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  author  of 
their  salvation  perfect  through  sufferings." 

It  will  help  us  to  apprehend  this  fact  and  a  part  of 


536    NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS. 

its  meaning  if  we  place  it  side  by  side  with  some  of 
the  relationships  of  life  which  are  near  and  very  real 
to  all  of  us.  Individualism  needs  no  proof.  The  in- 
dividual stands  for  it.  The  individual  life,  however, 
is  central  to  the  various  forms  of  social  life  and  finds 
the  full  expression  of  itself  in  them.  The  beneficent 
force  of  this  personal  life  is  not  found  till  it  communi- 
cates itself  to  the  family,  to  society,  and  to  all  God- 
appointed  corporate  forms  of  life.  The  individual  in- 
terest and  the  social  interest  are  equally  real,  and  life 
corresponds  to  the  divine  ideal  when  these  interests  are 
properly  recognized  Individualism  over-emphasized 
becomes  selfishness.  The  individual,  to  save  himself, 
must  find  himself  in  the  various  forms  of  social  life. 
Sin  disintegrates  these  relationships,  denies  them,  and 
brings  in  disorder.  It  unfits  men  to  feel  their  reality. 
Yet  the  realities  remain.  Man  is  by  nature  central  to 
every  social  relationship.  The  true  man,  whose  sen- 
sibilities are  quick  and  easily  moved,  responds  to  the 
varied  life  of  the  world  in  its  sufferings  and  sorrows 
as  parents  respond  to  the  life  of  the  family  or  as  the 
heart  to  the  life  of  the  body.  We  know  what  this 
means  in  the  family  life.  We  are  also  taught  what  it 
means  in  the  national  life.  Indeed,  a  world-con- 
sciousness is  gradually  evolving  itself.  Our  best  type 
of  statesmen,  our  great  missionaries,  know  what  this 
means.  They  are  carrying  world-burdens.  Thus 
from  the  individual  as  center  we  proceed   through 


NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS.     637 

the  different  social  circles  until  we  come  to  a  world- 
interest. 

We  are  slow  to  comprehend  this  unity.  We  are  not 
willing  to  believe  that  there  are  men  whose  vision  is 
large  and  clear  enough  to  take  in  the  world  and  whose 
ambitions  have  been  formed  upon  the  Savior's  plans. 
We  are  sin-hardened.  We  have  not  risen  to  such 
purity  of  life  and  to  such  sensitiveness  of  feeling  as 
to  make  world-burdens  real  to  us.  Jesus  Christ  was 
the  ideal  Man.  His  vision  was  large,  His  sympathies 
wide  and  deep.  The  mechanism  of  cablegram,  tele- 
gram, and  telephone,  which  expresses  the  awakening, 
commercial  world-consciousness  and  which  is  charac- 
teristic of  the  new  age,  was  preceded  by  a  spiritual 
world-consciousness  which  was  founded  upon  an  eter- 
nal relationship  and  which  found  its  first  clear  annun- 
ciation in  the  life,  love,  and  teachings  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Center  to  all  the  world,  sensitive  to  every 
condition  of  the  race,  with  the  sorrows  of  all  flowing 
in  and  reporting  themselves  to  Him  as  to  a  quivering 
heart,  Jesus  Christ  took  upon  Himself  the  sins  of  the 
world.  When  He  sat  on  Mount  Olivet  and  looked 
over  the  city,  He  wept  tears  of  sorrow.  When  he 
ascended  Calvary,  He  poured  out  His  life-blood. 
The  hour  was  awful,  the  event  most  tragic ;  the  Son  of 
God  was  made  sin  for  us  and  suffered  the  death  of  the 
cross.  Being  one  of  us.  He  shared  the  consequences 
of  our  unrighteous  lives. 


538    NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS. 

II.  Because  of  the  difference  between  Him  and  His 
environment.  A  great  philosopher  is  credited  to  have 
said  that  if  a  perfect  man  came  into  the  world  he 
would  be  compelled  to  spend  his  life  in  suffering  and 
sorrow.  Doubtless  he  recognized,  as  did  Jewish  proph- 
ecy in  a  very  clear  manner,  the  eternal  incompati- 
bility between  the  good  and  the  bad.  A  man  that  has 
a  medium  kind  of  goodness,  that  measures  up  to  the 
current  moralities,  but  is  far  from  the  eternal  ideal, 
may  spend  his  life  in  enjoyment;  but  a  man  who 
draws  his  ideal  from  heaven  and  endeavors  to  fashion 
his  life  according  to  eternal  principles  will  find  that 
the  world  is  out  of  joint,  a  place  of  tribulation,  and 
that  he  was  born  to  set  it  right.  A  genuine  goodness 
is  self-assertive,  active,  and  world-renewing.  It  will, 
therefore,  be  regarded  in  an  imperfect  and  sinful  world 
as  unsettling,  disturbing,  and  revolutionary.  This  is 
the  philosophy  of  such  lives  as  Savonarola,  Huss, 
Martin  Luther,  and  others.  They  were  mostly  supe- 
rior to  their  surroundings.  They  put  forth  their  en- 
ergy to  lift  the  world  to  their  own  spiritual  heights. 
The  struggles,  the  sufferings,  and  the  sorrows  of  their 
lives  were  the  expression  of  the  difference  between 
them  and  their  environment.  The  seriousness  with 
which  they  attacked  the  listlessness  and  the  moral  in- 
difference of  their  contemporaries  called  forth  an 
opposition  persistent  in  its  character  and  in  some  cases 
deadly  in  its  effects.     Jesus  Christ  is  the  highest  ex- 


NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS.    539 

ample  of  incompatibility  with  His  surroundings.  He 
was  absolutely  perfect,  His  environment  was  imper- 
fect. He  was  the  incarnation  of  eternal  love;  His 
contemporaries  were  selfish.  He  sought  not  His  own ; 
they  were  distinguished  by  their  self-seeking.  He 
became  the  most  luminous  example  of  self-sacrifice; 
they  the  most  consummate  illustration  of  the  world- 
principle.  They  possessed  no  common  ground  upon 
which  they  could  meet  and  agree.  Neither  in  the  rul- 
ing principles  of  their  lives  nor  in  their  views  of  God 
nor  in  their  conceptions  of  the  Messiahship  were  they 
at  one.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  a  greater  dif- 
ference and  a  profounder  incompatibility  than  that 
which  existed  between  the  Christ  and  His  people. 
Our  Lord  teaches  this  very  distinctly  when  He  affirms 
the  necessity  of  the  new  birth  in  order  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  His  Kingdom.  Jesus  was  an  exponent  and  a 
perfect  illustration  of  the  Kingdom  of  heaven ;  they 
lived  and  had  their  being  within  the  confines  of  the 
kingdom  of  darkness  and  of  this  world.  Therefore 
the  more  energetically  He  proclaimed  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  the  more  intense  became  the  opposition  that  con- 
fronted Him.  AVheu  it  was  seen,  as  it  was  at  last 
seen,  that  the  order  which  Christ  announced  excluded 
the  conditions  which  then  prevailed,  the  leaders 
quickly  agreed  that  it  was  better  to  sacrifice  one  man 
than  to  destroy  the  nation.  This,  indeed,  was  easier 
at  the  time,  it  was  the  convenient  thing  to  do ;  but  the 


640    NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS. 

world  rests  ultimately  upon  truth.  All  compromises 
simply  postpone  tlie  day  of  judgment.  Jewish  life, 
thought,  and  feeling  must  at  last  comply  with  the 
demands  of  God's  law  or  pay  the  penalty.  Jesus  was 
the  embodiment  of  the  true  world  order,  and  they  cru- 
cified Him. 

As  a  further  illustration  of  this  difference  between 
Christ  and  His  contemporaries  we  may  glance  at  some 
specific  teachings.  One  of  the  great  national  institu- 
tions was  the  Temple,  and  the  orders  which  had  sprung 
up  about  it.  Jesus  recognized  it  as  the  legitimate 
growth  of  the  past  and  looked  upon  it  as  God' s  house. 
But  in  so  doing  He  did  not  intimate  a  continuation  of 
its  existence  and  of  its  services.  Here  was  one  that 
was  greater  than  the  Temple.  He  looked  forward  to  a 
time  when  every  spot  of  God's  earth  was  to  be  a  holy 
of  holies,  and  in  which  the  priest-right  was  to  become 
the  possession  of  every  individual  who  sought  God  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  There  was  no  mistaking  the 
meaning  of  His  message.  Nor  did  the  Jewish  priest- 
hood mistake  it.  It  meant  the  complete  spiritualiza- 
tion  of  religion ;  and  the  Jewish  priesthood  in  a  very 
special  manner  were  called  upon  to  do  what  in  various 
ways  the  nation  was  to  do — to  deny  themselves  that 
God's  Kingdom  may  come. 

Furthermore,  the  plans  of  Jesus  embraced  the  world. 
If  the  Jew  is  strong  in  anything,  it  is  in  the  principle 
of  nationalism.     On  the  basis  of  this  principle  the 


NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS.     541 

people  were  formed.  The  Mosaic  legislation  and 
the  voice  of  prophecy  give  great  prominence  to  this. 
When  this  principle  seemed  to  be  disappearing,  the 
Pharisees  sprang  up  to  strengthen  and  to  foster  it. 
Up  to  a  certain  point  it  was  necessary.  But  it  was 
not  an  end  in  itself.  Nationalism,  properly  under- 
stood, leads  to  universalism.  Abraham  was  called  and 
the  nation  was  preserved  because  of  something  outside 
its  own  boundary.  "The  national  election,"  said  a 
great  English  preacher,  "  was  like  a  great  electric  jar 
in  which  converging  streams  of  electric  force  were 
stored — not  that  they  might  remain  there  a  national 
possession,  but  that  they  might  flash  forth  through  a 
thousand  conductors  and  quicken  mankind."  The 
universalism  latent  in  Judaism  colored  the  teaching 
of  Jesus,  and  in  more  than  one  instance  it  can  be  very 
distinctly  traced.  The  commission,  which  bids  the 
church  look  out  upon  the  world  and  care  for  it,  is  a 
blossom  whose  roots  permeate  the  church's  teaching 
and  pushes  back  even  to  the  Abrahamic  promise. 
Jesus  was,  therefore,  true  to  all  that  was  best  and 
deepest  in  the  Jewish  teaching  when  He  spoke  of 
world-interests.  It  was  a  parting  of  the  ways  for  the 
nation.  Jesus  called  them  to  deny  themselves  and 
carry  out  the  Divine  plan.  The  nation  was  not  pre- 
pared to  embrace  the  Christ  plan.  It  was  easier  to 
kill  the  son  and  keep  the  inheritance  than  to  become 
world-missionaries.      The  genius  of  Israel  and   the 


642    NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS. 

plans  of  God  centered  in  Christ  and  His  followers. 
Through  opposition,  through  suffering,  and  through 
death  Christ  and  His  followers  passed  on  to  form  a 
world  and  an  environment  of  their  own, 

III.  Because  it  pleased  God  to  make  them  a  mani- 
festation of  His  righteousness  and  a  reason  for  the  for- 
giveness of  sin.  As  we  have  traced  the  reasons  for 
Christ's  sufferings  and  death,  there  is  a  naturalness 
in  the  whole  history  which  seems  to  exclude  a  Divine 
purpose,  and  yet  when  the  work  is  done,  when  the 
sufferings  are  completed  and  death  is  past,  we  are  com- 
pelled to  recognize  behind  the  human  agencies  a  Divine 
will,  which  in  spite  of  these  agencies  moves  forward  to 
accomplish  its  own  unalterable  purpose  of  self-revela- 
tion. Humanly  speaking,  it  is  a  murder  we  see  on 
Calvary  accomplished  under  the  forms  of  law.  It  is 
the  opposition  of  men  that  is  carrying  itself  out. 
From  the  human  standpoint  we  can  discern  no  noble 
motive,  nothing  to  relieve  the  tragedy  of  its  dark  feat- 
ures. But  we  know  that  an  action  which  is  diabolic 
when  considered  in  the  light  of  its  originating  motive 
may,  by  being  cut  away  from  its  original  context  and 
by  being  transferred  into  the  sweep  and  purpose  of  an- 
other life,  be  changed  in  its  meaning,  and  may  be  made 
to  serve  ends  altogether  different,  and  from  what  it  was 
first  destined.  The  selling  of  Joseph  was  a  mean,  a 
despicable  act ;  as  considered  from  the  brothers'  stand- 
point, it  can  never  be  justified.    But  the  act  takes  a  dif- 


NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS.     543 

ferent  meaning  when  it  is  regarded,  as  Joseph  teaches 
his  brothers  to  regard  it,  as  one  of  a  series  of  actions 
providentially  arranged  to  preserve  life.  The  envy 
and  the  ill-will  which  originated  it  seem  to  drop  off 
when  it  becomes  subservient  to  the  Divine  purpose. 
The  providence  of  God  takes  up  this  evil  action  and, 
having  torn  it  out  of  its  mean,  despicable  context  of 
selfishness  and  ill-will,  gives  it  a  new  purpose,  and  in 
so  doing  communicates  to  it  a  new  meaning.  In  the 
larger  context  of  God's  providence  the  action  becomes 
part  of  a  scheme  which  glorifies  God,  in  spite  of  human 
obliquity,  and  tends  to  bless  Egypt  and  the  household 
of  Jacob. 

It  is  thus  we  are  taught  to  look  at  the  sufferings  of 
Jesus  Christ.  There  was  a  human  agency  which  con- 
trived and  carried  out  the  terrible  deed.  Studying  it 
in  the  light  of  the  selfish  motives  that  brought  it  about, 
we  are  minded  that  He  was  taken  by  wicked  hands 
and  was  crucified  and  slain.  It  was  tragic  and  terri- 
ble to  the  last  degree.  Under  the  forms  of  law  the 
most  sainted  of  men  was  really  murdered  by  "  His 
own."  This  is  the  event  in  its  immediate  and  Jewish 
context.  Later  the  disciples  were  taught  to  construe 
the  event  from  a  higher  standpoint. 

It  is  remarkable  that  when  the  tragedy  was  passed 
and  gone  the  sutferings  and  death  of  Christ  were  found 
to  be  central  to  a  scheme  in  which  God's  righteousness 
and  love  were  revealed.     The  event  which  revealed 


544    NECESSITY  OF  CHRIST'S  SUFFERINGS. 

the  diabolism  of  which  human  nature  was  capable 
revealed  also  the  depth  of  Divine  love.  Thus  the 
action,  which  was  the  necessary  outcome  of  a  deep 
unity  of  relationship  and  antagonism  with  one' s  envi- 
ronment, becomes  the  expression  of  Infinite  love  and 
Infinite  justice.  It  was  an  act  of  sovereign  grace  on 
the  part  of  God  to  transform  the  crucifixion  of  Christ 
to  high  and  redemptive  purposes.  It  is  to  this  fel- 
lowship of  sufferings  we  are  called. 


THE   EXCELLENCY   OF   GOD'S   LAW. 

By  Rev.  J.  P.  Williams,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

"I  have  seen  an  end  of  all  perfection  :  but  thy  command- 
ment is  exceeding  broad." — Psalm  cxix.  96. 

This  Psalm  contains  a  sublime  tribute  to  the  excel- 
lency of  God's  law — the  law  of  His  moral  nature  and 
of  His  revealed  Word.     And  our  theme  is : 

The  End  of  the   Visible,  and  the  Continuance  of  the 
Spiritual,  in  the  Light  of  God's  Law. 

I.  The  End  of  the  Visible. — "I  have  seen  an  end 
of  all  perfection."  In  its  proper  sense,  perfection  is 
a  term  applicable  only  to  God.  "As  for  God,  His 
way  is  perfect."  "The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect." 
Men  can  do  nothing  perfectly.  If  it  were  proper  to 
apply  the  word  "perfect"  to  sin,  neither  men  nor 
devils  are  able  to  sin  perfectly.  There  is  such  disor- 
der and  awfulness  in  sin  that  it  is  impossible  for  any 
creature  ever  to  reach  its  full  completion.  The  same 
is  true  in  well-doing.  The  best  of  men  can  do  nothing 
perfect  in  this  life,  because,  for  one  reason,  no  one  can 
be  sinless.  The  aspiration  of  the  best  saints  is  not 
realized — not  because  the  "  fulness  of  the  Godhead  " 
35  546 


546        THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW. 

is  not  sufficient  for  them,  but  because  they  are  not 
sufficiently  spiritual  in  asking  or  ready  in  receiving. 
Altho  they  have  desired  much  and  wrought  much, 
they  are  but  on  the  shore  of  God's  sea  of  wonders. 
"  Pressing  toward  the  mark  "  was  Paul  even  in  his  last 
days.  The  only  perfection  that  the  saints  can  hope 
for  is  the  perfection  of  the  imputation  of  Christ's 
righteousness  to  them  in  justification,  and  the  perfec- 
tion of  their  salvation  in  consequence  of  their  sanctifi- 
cation. 

The  world,  especially  in  these  years,  is  as  if  rapidly 
pushing  on  to  perfection  in  many  ways — in  learning, 
in  the  mechanical  arts ;  for  example,  in  feats  of  engi- 
neering and  the  thousand  and  one  notable  inventions 
which  have  characterized  this  century.  It  might  be 
supposed  that  the  world  has  attained  a  sort  of  perfec- 
tion in  these  accomplishments;  but  such  is  not  the 
case.  Edison,  Sir  William  Thompson,  and  other  dis- 
tinguished scientists  are  far  from  being  satisfied  with 
their  inventions. 

There  are  many  who  are  seeking  wealth,  honor,  and 
happiness  among  the  children  of  men ;  but  no  one  has 
reached  perfection,  even  approximately.  "He  that 
loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver. "  Men's 
castles  are  often  hurled  to  the  ground. 

In  what  sense  did  the  Psalmist  see  an  end  to  all 
perfection?  We  can  not,  I  suppose,  make  out  his 
meaning  any  further  than  that  he  includes  every  per- 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  OOD'S  LAW.        647 

fection.  But  perhaps  we  can  safely  mention  two  or 
three  things  whose  perfection  is  to  come  to  an  end,  at 
least  in  their  present  form  and  working. 

I  see  an  end  to  the  operation  of  the  laws  of  creation. 
Every  law  of  the  Almighty  is  the  product  of  His  sov- 
ereign will.  The  creation  and  all  within  it  are  such  a 
product.  What  is  contained  in  the  first  chapter  of 
Genesis?  A  revelation  of  the  will  of  the  Creator  in 
the  creation.  But  the  universe  has  its  laws.  There 
would  be  no  sense  in  a  creation  without  laws,  and 
there  would  be  no  meaning  in  the  laws  without  a  crea- 
tion. Laws  pertain  to  every  part  of  the  universe. 
There  is  a  law  pertaining  to  the  sun  as  the  center  of 
all  the  planets.  So,  also,  the  moon  and  "  the  star  of 
light. "  "  He  gave  to  the  sea  His  decree. "  "  The 
stormy  wind  fulfilling  His  word  "  observes  its  laws 
literally.  But  we  are  taught  in  the  Sacred  Word  that 
there  will  be  an  end  to  their  operation  and  the  period 
of  their  continuance.  Perfection  pertains  to  them 
now.  The  sun  has  not  failed  a  single  day  in  its  shin- 
ing, nor  the  moon  in  its  reflecting.  The  clouds  do  not 
fail  in  watering  the  earth,  nor  the  winds  in  blowing. 
The  roar  of  the  thunder  is  not  stayed,  nor  the  flash  of 
the  lightning.  But  there  will  come  a  time  when  the 
sun  will  shine  for  the  last  time,  when  the  drops  of 
rain  shall  fall  for  the  last  time,  and  when  the  earth 
will  yield  its  increase  for  the  last  time.  The  service 
of  the  old  earth,  however  long  and  unfailing  it  has 


648        THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW. 

been,  will  come  to  an  end.  "  The  earth  and  the  works 
that  are  therein  shall  be  burned  up. "  Everything  will 
come  under  some  new  dispensation.  "  The  earth  hath 
He  given  to  the  children  of  men."  When  the  chil- 
dren of  men  are  taken  away,  there  will  no  need  of 
the  old  home.  Man  is  lord  of  the  creation,  but  when 
this  lord  is  called  to  some  other  part  of  his  King's 
dominion,  there  will  be  no  more  need  of  the  creatures, 
the  beasts,  and  winged  fowls. 

I  see  an  end  to  the  dispensation  of  God's  providence 
in  this  world.  The  term  "  providence  of  God  "  has  a 
wide  and  diversified  meaning.  It  involves  His  whole 
purpose.  The  providence  of  God  in  every  sense  is 
mysterious  to  us.  The  sense  in  which  I  take  it  here 
is  the  work  of  God  in  sustaining  everything  and  in 
directing  the  affairs  of  His  creatures.  His  ways  in 
this  sense,  "how  past  finding  out!  "  But  His  ways, 
how  perfect  they  are!  It  is  impossible  to  think  of 
anything  relating  to  Him  that  is  not  perfect.  "  Con- 
sider the  work  of  God,  for  who  can  make  that  straight 
which  He  hath  made  crooked?  "  When  He  makes  a 
thing  crooked.  He  does  it  perfectly.  God' s  dealings 
with  men  from  Adam  till  now  are  perfect.  Often  we 
fail  to  understand  them ;  but  can  we  doubt  their  wis- 
dom? They  contain  plait  upon  plait  of  mystery ;  but 
dare  we  question  their  justice?  But  in  spite  of  the 
mystery,  we  may  believe  that  the  Psalmist  saw  an  end 
to  all  these  dispensations  in  their  relation  to  time  and 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW.        549 

to  men  in  their  present  state.  He  sees  a  time  when 
the  last  number  of  the  work  of  God's  providence  in 
this  world  will  be  issued,  and  all  the  volumes  will  be 
folded.  Then  sickness  and  death  and  sorrow  will  have 
vanished  away  forever. 

I  see  an  end  to  the  redemptive  work.  The  cre- 
ation, Providence,  and  revelation  are  unfoldings  of  the 
same  mind;  and  not  only  this,  but  they  are  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  one  great  system.  Just  as  the  creation 
would  be  imperfect  without  Providence — the  earth 
created  by  God  imperfect  without  the  same  God  filling 
it  with  His  presence — so  the  creation  and  Providence 
would  be  incomplete  without  salvation.  Altho  the 
earth  has  been  thrown  into  confusion  and  disorder 
through  sin,  the  Godhead  planned  a  perfect  way  for 
its  salvation.  And  but  one  way  of  deliverance  was 
possible — the  incarnation,  death,  and  resurrection  of 
the  Son  of  God.  And  the  Author  of  our  salvation  was 
perfected,  and  that  through  suffering.  Only  that  en- 
ables the  plan  to  be  effective  for  redeeming  the  world 
from  its  misery.  How  mighty  is  the  work  of  redemp- 
tion !  How  much  already  has  been  accomplished !  In 
what  other  way  could  it  have  been  accomplished?  But 
the  greatest  work  still  remains  to  be  fulfilled.  From 
a  human  standpoint,  to  the  pessimist's  vision  it  seems 
unlikely  that  the  work  will  be  fulfilled.  "  We  see 
not  yet  all  things  put  under  subjection  "  to  the  Eman- 
uel King ;  but  there  is  the  greatest  assurance  that  His 


550        THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW. 

Kingdom  will  conquer  the  whole  earth.  "  Every  knee 
shall  bow,  every  tongue  shall  swear  to  him."  "For 
he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his 
feet."  But  we  can  believe  that  the  purpose  of  re- 
demption will  bo  accomplished  before  the  time  comes 
when  the  angel  shall  announce  "  that  there  shall  be 
time  no  longer. "  "Thencometh  the  end."  When? 
After  the  Divine  plan  has  failed?  After  the  enemy 
has  conquered  and  gotten  the  upper  hand?  Oh,  no! 
"  For  he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  un- 
der his  feet."  "T/iew  Cometh  the  end."  The  God- 
head leaves  nothing  half  complete.  He  will  make 
nothing  imperfect.  He  did  not  in  the  creation.  He 
will  not  in  the  work  of  salvation.  The  end  will  not 
come  before  the  Divine  purpose  has  been  fulfilled. 
"  Then  will  come  the  end, "  when  nothing  remains  to 
be  done.  But  there  will  be  an  end  after  all.  We  see 
an  end  to  every  perfection  in  the  work  of  saving  sin- 
ners. There  will  come  a  time  when  the  last  sermon 
is  preached,  when  the  last  prayer  is  offered,  when 
Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  the  last  sinner.  The  Kingdom 
will  not  then  disappear,  but  the  field  of  its  work  will 
disappear.  I  see  an  end  to  the  work  of  redemption 
in  its  efl&cacy  to  save. 

II.  The  Continuance  of  the  Spiritual  and  the 
Eternal. — "But  thy  commandment  is  exceeding 
broad. " 

It  is  exceeding  broad  as  to  the  character  of  ita 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW.        551 

Author.  "It  is  Thy  commandment."  The  Psalmist 
speaks  as  if  to  God  Himself  upon  the  characteristics 
of  His  law.  When  we  hear  of  a  commandment,  our 
first  question  is,  Who  gave  the  commandment — what 
king,  or  government,  or  authority?  Little  of  impor- 
tance is  attached  tc  the  commands  of  a  feeble  power 
in  the  world ;  fear  of  it  does  not  reach  far.  But  when 
lands  like  Britain  or  America  send  forth  their  com- 
mands, the  world  hearkens.  Every  commandment 
originating  in  a  righteous  authority  demands  respect. 
But  who  is  equal  to  the  Almighty  to  command?  Who 
like  Him  to  give  laws  to  His  creatures?  Who  pos- 
sesses such  wealth  when  He  promises?  Who  is  like 
to  our  God?  Here  is  the  source  of  every  authority. 
Here  an  authority  responsible  to  no  one  else.  And 
He  does  not  give  an  account  of  His  doings. 

It  is  exceeding  broad  with  reference  to  its  principles 
and  its  claims.  It  is  a  commandment.  One  of  the 
superiorities  of  the  Bible  is  that  it  accords  with  every 
worthy  name  given  to  it.  How  many  and  diversified 
are  the  names  to  be  found  in  this  Psalm !  But  it  fully 
accords  with  every  name.  Commandment  it  is  called 
here,  and  as  a  commandment  it  has  its  claims  to  obe- 
dience. As  a  commandment  it  has  its  subjects.  And 
there  never  was  an  authority  that  had  so  many  sub- 
jects as  the  Kingdom  of  the  Gospel.  "  The  field  is  the 
world."  The  commandment  of  the  text  is  as  broad  as 
the    creation,  pertaining  to  every  tribe  and  nation. 


552        THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW. 

Altho  the  heathen  do  not  possess  it,  and  therefore 
are  not  held  responsible,  still  they  have  just  as  much 
right  to  and  qualification  for  observing  it  as  the  Welsh 
people.  There  never  was  a  commandment  so  broad, 
possessing  so  many  subjects,  as  the  commandment  of 
God. 

It  is  exceeding  broad  as  a  field  for  meditation  and 
investigation.  Altho  complaint  is  heard  that  there 
is  neglect  of  searching  the  Scriptures,  and  there  is 
some  truth  in  it,  still  there  is  no  book  read  by  so  many 
as  is  the  Bible.  And  it  is  greater  than  any  human 
mind  that  approaches  it.  It  defies  the  most  severe 
criticism  of  the  most  learned.  Its  poetry  is  superior 
to  every  other  poetry.  It  contains  history  that  is  a 
model  to  the  greatest  of  historians.  As  a  field  of 
investigation  and  the  highest  meditation  the  com- 
mandment is  exceeding  broad.  If  we  seek  the  truly 
beautiful  and  the  truly  sublime,  there  is  no  book  to  be 
compared  with  the  Bible.  Christ  is  the  life  of  the 
world  in  every  sense,  the  life  of  literature,  the  like  of 
knowledge,  the  life  of  commerce,  and  the  life  of  the 
nation.  But  He  is  Life  in  these  respects  because  He 
is  Life  in  an  infinitely  higher  sense.  The  great  object 
of  the  Bible  is  to  teach  religion  in  its  greatest  mean- 
ing. "  Search  the  Scriptures. "  Why  ?  Eternal  life 
opens  before  the  earnest  searcher.  Its  broadness  ex- 
tends beyond  the  limits  of  time  and  space.  And  the 
man  has  not  been  born  who  can  afford  to  lay  it  aside 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW.        653 

as  a  book  which  he  has  mastered.  "  It  is  exceeding 
broad.''  Infinity  and  eternity  are  interwoven  with  it. 
It  is  exceeding  broad  as  a  means  of  comfort  and  joy. 
Many  chapters  of  this  life  are  taken  up  with  suffering 
and  sorrow.  What  is  the  true  remedy  in  the  face  of 
trouble?  Is  it  to  be  weary?  Is  it  to  leave  them  to 
the  healing  of  time?  Is  it  to  seek  to  forget  them  by 
means  of  the  business  of  this  life?  Is  it  to  turn  to 
cursing  the  Creator?  No.  This  is  not  the  doctrine 
of  the  law  and  the  testimony.  The  commandment  di- 
rects us  to  the  "Physician  in  Gilead,"  "the  comfort 
of  the  Scriptures,"  "the  consolation  in  Christ."  And 
this  comfort  comes  in  all  the  events  of  life;  to  the 
young  in  serving  their  Master,  to  the  old  when  the 
cares  of  age  and  the  imminence  of  the  life  beyond  are 
especially  near.  When  the  late  Dr.  Rees,  of  Swansea, 
preached  the  last  time  in  north  Wales,  a  friend  said 
to  him — one  of  those  who  are  always  reminding  people 
that  they  are  getting  old :  "  You  are  whitening  fast, 
Dr.  Rees."  The  old  gentleman  did  not  say  anything 
then,  but  when  he  got  to  the  pulpit  he  referred  to  it 
and  said :  "  There  is  a  wee  white  flower  that  comes 
up  through  the  earth  at  this  season  of  the  year. 
Sometimes  it  comes  up  through  the  snow  and  frost; 
but  we  are  glad  to  see  the  snowdrop,  because  it  pro- 
claims that  the  winter  is  over  and  that  the  summer  is 
at  hand.  A  friend  reminded  me  last  night  that  I  was 
whitening  fast.     But  heed  not  that,  brother ;  it  is  to 


554        THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW. 

me  a  proof  that  my  winter  will  soon  be  over ;  that  I 
shall  have  done  presently  with  the  cold  east  winds 
and  the  frosts  of  earth,  and  that  my  summer,  my 
eternal  summer,  is  at  hand."  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  Dr.  Eees  derived  his  hope  from  the  Word  of  God. 
And  where  other  than  in  Scripture  do  we  find  such 
comforting  assurances  of  the  life  beyond? 

It  is  exceeding  broad  with  reference  to  its  suflB- 
ciency .  A  side  from  revelation  it  is  impossible  to  sat- 
isfy the  natural  craving  of  man.  The  pagan  philoso- 
phers were  not  satisfied  in  their  investigation  of  the 
truth.  The  Greek  poets  were  far  from  satisfied  with 
the  sentiments  of  their  songs.  They  were  not  dealing 
with  things  that  give  satisfaction.  But  in  the  com- 
mandment mentioned  by  our  text  we  find  a  sufiicieucy 
that  gives  satisfaction.  "  With  long  life  I  will  satisfy 
him."  He  shall  have  long  life?  No.  But  he  shall 
feel  that  long  life  is  sufficient  to  him.  He  regards  the 
number  of  his  days  as  given  by  God.  "  He  that  loveth 
silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver. "  Have  you 
known  any  one  to  doubt  the  truth  of  that  statement? 
"  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness.  I  shall  be 
satisfied  when  I  awake  with  thy  likeness."  And  just 
as  the  broadness  of  the  commandment  gives  fulness  of 
satisfaction  it  also  gives  rest.  This  is  the  word  of  the 
Bible.  It  alone  possesses  the  patent  of  it.  No  human 
teacher  has  had  the  effrontery  to  say  :  "  Come  unto 
me,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. "     The  only- 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW.        555 

begotten  Son  of  the  Father  alone  could  give  such  an 
invitation.  The  days  of  work  in  the  creation  of  the 
world  were  followed  by  the  seventh  day  of  rest.  In  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  the  rest  is  regarded  as  God's 
rest  continued  till  the  perfection  of  man's  rest  in 
heaven.  Augustine  says  that  this  is  suggested  in 
Genesis,  inasmuch  as  the  words  connected  with  the 
history  of  the  other  days,  "  And  the  evening  and  the 
morning  were, "  are  not  said  in  the  history  of  the  sev- 
enth day.  There  is  no  evening  pertaining  to  the 
seventh  day.  *'Thy  commandment  is  exceeding 
broad, "  affording  a  rest  for  the  soul  that  extends  from 
the  seventh  day  of  the  first  week  of  creation  through 
eternity. 

"  Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  his  beauty ;  they 
shall  behold  the  land  that  is  very  far  off. "  "  The  land 
that  is  very  far  off."  Thine  eyes  shall  see  very  far 
off  into  God's  nature,  very  far  off  into  man's  nature, 
very  far  off  into  the  evil  of  sin,  very  far  off  into  eter- 
nity after  being  lighted  with  the  sun  of  love.  Some 
of  us  know  what  it  is  to  climb  the  cliffs  of  some  of  the 
high  mountains  of  Wales  on  a  clear  day  and  to  see 
very  far  away  in  every  direction.  To  see  the  King  in 
His  beauty  reflects  such  a  splendor  on  the  soul  that  it 
beholds  the  land  that  is  very  far  off.  And  to  see  the 
King  we  must  abide  in  the  broadness  of  the  command- 
ment. 

It  is  exceeding  broad  in  its  reward  and  the  eternal 


556        THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW. 

happiness  it  brings.  Every  Divine  broadness,  whether 
in  the  written  Word  or  ia  the  Christian  soul,  tran- 
scends the  limits  of  this  world  to  the  state  of  bliss  on 
the  other  side.  Nothing  but  the  revealed  thoughts  of 
God  can  carry  the  soul  past  the  limits  of  time  to  the 
brink  of  eternity.  Let  me  give  an  instance  of  this 
from  an  incident  which  occurred  in  the  life  of  the  late 
Dr.  Herber  Evans.  He  says :  "  I  have  seen  many 
an  old  Welsh  Christian  who  entered  the  dark  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death  singing,  singing.  I  knew  one 
very  dear  to  me.  He  went  away  to  Hyeres  in  France, 
thinking  that  he  would  regain  his  lost  health ;  but 
death  came — even  in  that  land  of  sun  death  came.  A 
priest  came  in  one  day  to  offer  him  help.  He  had  no 
one  with  him  but  his  own  daughter,  far  away  from 
home.  He  refused  the  help  of  the  priest.'  'No,' 
said  he,  '  I  do  not  want  any  help.  I  go  to  Christ 
Himself;  I  go  to  the  High  Priest  Himself,  and  He  is 
with  me. '  And  he  said  to  his  child :  '  Will  you  read 
the  twenty-third  Psalm? '  She  began,  tried,  broke 
down ;  tried  again,  broke  down.  '  Tho  I  walk  through 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  ' — then  broke  down.  '  Do 
not  be  afraid,  Jesus  is  here.  He  is  come  to  me. 
Read  it  through.  Yes,  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  forever. '  " 

Such  is  the  reward  and  the  eternal  happiness  that 
come  to  the  soul  which  knows  of  the  broadness  of  the 
commandment. 


THE  EXCELLENCY  OF  GOD'S  LAW.      557 

Do  we  know  something  about  this  broadness  of 
which  we  have  been  speaking?  If  not,  it  is  time  we 
were  seeking  to  know,  lest  we  find  ourselves  in  a  nar- 
row place — too  narrow  to  permit  our  deliverance. 
May  our  prayer  be  like  that  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Open 
thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold  wondrous  things 
out  of  thy  law  " — the  broadness  of  God's  thoughts. 


LEARNING   OF    CHRIST. 

By    Rev.  0.  A.    Williams,    M.A.,   D.D.,  Minne- 
apolis, Minn. 

"Learn  of  me.  ''—Matt.  xi.  29. 

Life  is  a  school.  Our  education  begins  with  our 
earliest  infancy.  Our  teachers  are  many.  We  are 
directed  to  the  birds,  the  beasts,  and  the  fishes,  to 
learn  of  them.  Whether  consciously  or  unconsciously, 
we  are  receiving  impressions  and  instruction  from  the 
objects  around  us,  from  the  words,  the  example,  and 
the  lives  of  our  fellows  among  whom  we  mingle.  The 
lessons  taught  are  varied.  Well  were  it  if  some  of 
them  had  never  been  learned ! 

I  desire  to  lead  you  to-day  to  the  feet  of  the  divine 
Teacher — infallible  in  His  instruction,  perfect  in 
His  example — who  never  by  word  or  act  misguided  a 
disciple;  who  Himself  is  truth.  *'In  whom  are  hid 
all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge. "  I  in- 
vite you  all  to  come  to  Him.  Take  His  yoke  upon 
you.  Acknowledge  His  authority.  Submit  to  His 
will.  Enter  His  service.  Place  yourselves  in  the 
attitude  of  scholars,  that  you  may  learn  of  Him. 

Look  at  the  Man.  Examine  His  character.  Re- 
558 


LEARNING  OF  CHRIST.  659 

ceive  His  doctrine.  Follow  Him  in  His  toils.  Ac- 
quaint yourselves  with  the  magnitude  of  divine  love, 
as  revealed  in  His  life  and  in  His  work. 

Let  us  inquire  what  He  teaches  in  these  particular 
lines  of  thought. 

The  Model  Man. 

Let  us  look  at  the  model  Man,  and  learn  how  pure 
and  noble  and  grand  human  nature  is  without  sin; 
and  the  moral  possibilities  of  the  renewed  man,  "  cre- 
ated in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works." 

We  do  not  often  think  of  Him  as  a  real  man,  pos- 
sessing all  the  peculiarities  and  characteristics  of  the 
race  (possibly  because  of  His  present  exaltation) ; 
rather  we  picture  Him  to  ourselves  when  He  was  on 
earth,  as  God  moving  among  men,  veiled  in  human 
flesh.  Yet  how  simple  is  the  story  of  His  life!  How 
like  other  men  He  appears !  How  near  He  is  brought 
to  us !  In  His  childhood  He  is  subject  to  His  parents. 
He  increases  "  in  wisdom,  and  stature,  and  in  favor 
with  God  and  man."  During  His  youth  and  early 
manhood.  He  submits  to  the  common  law  of  subsist- 
ence. He  is  not  supported  in  any  miraculous  or 
supernatural  manner.  In  the  seclusion  of  Nazareth, 
we  find  Him  engaged  in  the  humble  occupation  of  a 
carpenter,  teaching  all  succeeding  generations  that 
honest  toil  is  honorable,  that  contentment  with  our 
lot  is  manly. 


660  LEARNING  OF  CHRIST. 

The  historical  facts  of  His  life  show  that  He  was 
in  the  truest  sense  "  the  Son  of  man, "  that  He  be- 
came identified  with  the  race,  that  He  possessed  all 
the  peculiarities  of  man.  Tempted,  He  seeks  help  in 
prayer.  Weary  with  labor,  He  requires  rest  and 
sleep  in  the  home  of  His  friends.  Thirsting,  He  asks 
for  water  of  a  woman  of  Samaria.  Sorrowing,  He 
weeps  at  the  grave  of  a  friend  and  groans  in  spirit. 
Why  should  it  surprise  us  to  find  ourselves  subject  to 
the  infirmities  of  our  nature?  "It  is  enough  for  the 
disciple  that  he  be  as  his  Master."  How  grandly  He 
appears  in  His  sympathies  and  feelings  as  a  man. 
His  ears  were  ever  open  to  every  cry  of  want.  His 
hand  was  ever  ready  to  aid  the  helpless.  The  multi- 
tudes were  scattered,  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd, 
and  He  had  compassion  on  them.  The  lepers  cried 
for  mercy,  and  He  sent  them  to  show  themselves  to 
the  priest,  cleansed.  The  blind  begged  for  sight,  and 
He  opened  their  eyes.  The  mourners  wept  over  their 
dead,  and  He  restored  the  dead  to  life.  The  world 
moves  on  still  groaning  under  its  weight  of  sorrow, 
crying  for  sympathy  and  brotherly  love.  What  les- 
sons do  we  learn  as  we  look  at  the  "Man,  Christ 
Jesus"?  "Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so 
fulfil  the  law  of  Christ." 


LEARNING  OF  CHRIST.  661 

Character. 

Preeminently  does  He  stand  before  us  as  the  model 
man  in  His  character.  "  Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart."  His  was  not  the  meekness 
that  is  born  of  cowardice,  not  the  humbleness  that 
springs  from  the  consciousness  of  imworthiness ;  but 
rather  that  which  springs  from  the  absolute  mastery 
over  all  surroundings  and  opposing  circumstances. 
All  the  elements  required  for  the  formation  of  a  per- 
fect character  meet  in  the  person  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth. Examine  the  virtues  that  adorned  His  life — 
kindness,  gentleness,  forbearance,  love.  He  stands 
alone  in  His  moral  grandeur.  When  His  enemies 
mocked  Him,  taunted  Him,  smote  Him,  and  heaped 
their  insults  upon  Him,  His  silence  was  sublime.  Not 
less  unique  are  the  active,  practical  elements  of  His 
character.  Devotion  to  His  work.  "The  Son  of 
man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 
Singleness  of  purpose.  "  For  this  cause  came  I  to  this 
hour."  Submission  to  His  Father's  will.  "The  cup 
which  my  Father  has  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink  it?  " 
Purity  of  life.  "  Made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  but 
separate  from  sinners."  "In  all  points  tempted  like 
as  we  are,  yet  without  sin." 

The  Roman  governor,  after  examining  carefully 
every  accusation  brought  against  Him,  declared  pub- 
licly :  "I  find  no  fault  in  Him."  Through  all  the 
86 


LEARNING  OF  CHRIST. 

subsequent  centuries,  this  perfect  character  has  been 
submitted  to  the  severest  tests.  Hostile  foes  have 
examined,  scrutinized,  and  analyzed  it;  but  in  His 
majestic  presence  they  have  been  forced  to  feel  as  the 
great  Napoleon  did:  "Everything  in  Christ  aston- 
ishes me.  His  spirit  overawes  me,  and  His  will  con- 
founds me — everything  is  above  me.  Everything  re- 
mains grand — of  a  grandeur  that  overpowers  me." 

When  we  compare  men's  character  with  His,  they 
seem  dwarfed,  one-sided,  imperfect,  incomplete. 
When  you  apply  the  microscope  to  human  life,  you 
are  startled  at  its  many  defects.  The  great,  how 
small!  The  strong,  how  weak!  When  you  get  near 
men,  you  are  surprised  and  humiliated  to  discover 
their  many  faults.  One  is  overcome  with  his  own 
temper,  another  with  his  greed,  another  with  his 
vanity,  another  with  his  love  of  popularity,  and  an- 
other with  his  appetite.  If  you  want  to  know  the 
perfection  that  should  ever  be  your  aim,  and  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  renewed  nature  in  Christ,  learn  of 
Him.  Keep  the  pattern  ever  before  you.  Copy  Him, 
not  in  one  or  two,  but  in  all  His  virtues.  "  Put  ye 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

The  Model  Teacher. 

Let  us  come  to  Him  as  our  model  teacher,  our 
unquestionable  authority  on  all  matters  pertaining  to 
our  moral,   spiritual,  and  eternal  welfare.     We  can 


LEARNING  OF  CHRIST.  563 

gather  from  the  story  of  His  life  the  opinion  that 
was  held  of  Him  as  a  teacher,  by  those  who  heard 
Him.  "  He  spoke  as  one  having  authority,  and  not 
as  the  scribes."  When  He  came  to  His  own  country 
and  taught  in  their  synagogs,  they  were  astonished, 
and  said :  "  Whence  hath  this  man  this  doctrine,  for 
His  word  was  with  power."  The  impression  of  His 
power  and  authority  was  not  left  on  the  common  peo- 
ple alone.  The  officers  testified :  "  Never  man  spake 
like  this  man."  One  of  their  own  rulers,  a  teacher 
in  Israel,  has  given  us  this  testimony,  and  did  he  not 
express  the  common  conviction  of  his  class,  tho  per- 
haps less  honest  and  true  to  their  conviction  than  he? 
"  Rabbi,  we  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from 
God." 

He  stands  alone  as  the  perfect  teacher  iu  the  ab- 
solute authority  with  which  He  speaks.  There  is 
therefore  no  appeal  from  His  decision.  When  we  in- 
struct others,  it  is  in  proportion  as  we  have  received 
knowledge  from  sources  outside  of  ourselves;  but  He 
is  the  truth,  and  He  speaks  from  His  self-knowledge 
of  the  truth.  He  is  in  no  way  influenced  either  by 
t^jie  traditions  of  the  fathers,  the  current  opinions  of 
the  day,  or  by  the  creeds  of  religious  sects.  Has  He 
not  taught  us  fidelity  to  conviction  and  duty,  "  whether 
men  will  hear  or  whether  they  will  forbear  "  ? 

He  stands  alone  as  the  perfect  teacher,  when  we 
remember  the  grandeur  of  the  truth  which  He  de- 


564  LEARNING  OF  CHRIST. 

clared.  Valuable  are  the  discoveries  of  human  re- 
search in  the  various  departments  of  nature,  science, 
and  philosophy.  But  none  of  them  shows  the  way 
of  pardon  and  of  justification,  of  peace  and  of  life. 
But  He  brought  "  life  and  immortality  to  light. "  He 
made  known  to  men  God's  purposes  of  love  concern- 
ing them.  How  unlike  the  teachers  of  that  day  in 
His  broad  and  comprehensive  conception  of  divine 
truth!  He  throws  new  light  on  old  subjects.  He 
brings  old  truths  into  new  relations.  He  gives  to 
them  a  broader  and  richer  meaning.  "  Ye  have  heard 
that  it  hath  been  said,  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
and  hate  thine  enemy ;  but  I  say  unto  you,  love  your 
enemies." 

How  superior,  in  the  spirit  with  which  He  teaches ! 
Bold,  faithful,  fearless.  He  is  not  affected  by  posi- 
tion, wealth,  or  influence.  "  Wo  unto  you,  scribes, 
Pharisees,  hypocrites,  for  ye  are  like  unto  whited  sep- 
ulchers,  which  indeed  appear  beautiful  outward,  but 
are  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones."  But  how  kind 
and  gentle  to  the  penitent  sinner !  "  Go  thy  way  in 
peace,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole."  "Thy  sins 
are  forgiven  thee. "  When  He  pronounced  the  doom 
of  the  city  He  did  it  with  streaming  eyes :  "  0  Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem,  thou  which  killest  the  prophets, 
and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  you,  how  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as 
a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye 


LEARNING  OF  CHRIST.  565 

would  not."     Let  us  "  learn  of  Him  "  and  partake  of 
His  spirit. 

Are  not   religious  teachers  of  to-day  tempted   to 
gratify  the  pride   of   their  intellect  and  the  morbid 
curiosity  of  their  hearers,  who,  like  the  Athenians, 
ever  desire  something  new,  to  depart  from  the  simplic- 
ity of  the  gospel?     It  is  necessary  that  we  should 
ever  acquaint  ourselves  with  the  great  questions  that 
have  the  attention  of  the  thoughtful,  and  that  truth 
should  be  presented  to  men  through  channels  that  are 
fresh  and  suited  to  the  times  in  which  we  live.     But 
we  must  learn  from   the  great  Head  of  the  church 
what  questions  are  vital  and  paramount.     When  the 
multitude  gathered  around  Him  who  understood  all 
mysteries,  and   in   whom  dwelt  "  the  fulness  of  the 
Godhead  bodily,"  we  do  not  learn  that  He  once  gave 
a  disquisition  on  the  origin  of  the  race,  and  kindred 
subjects :  whether  man  had  lived  on  earth  six  thou- 
sand or  sixty  thousand  years,  or  whether  he  may  not 
have  been  evolved  by  some  unknown  process  from  a 
jelly tish,  a  tadpole,  or  an  ape.     But  what  did  He  say 
to  the  multitudes?    "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest. "     ^Vhat 
they  longed  for  was  rest.     On  the  great  day  of  the 
feast  He  cried :  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to 
me. "     What  they  needed  was  refreshing  water. 


566  LEARNING  OF  CHRIST. 


Casuistry. 

The  subject  of  casuistry,  or  of  Christian  practise^ 
is  causing  much  perplexity  in  the  church  to-day,  as  it 
did  when  Paul  wrote  to  the  Christians  at  Kome.  The 
only  difference  is  that  the  questions  which  we  meet 
are  peculiar  to  the  times  in  which  we  live.  The 
question  is  often  asked,  Is  it  right  to  drink  moder- 
ately;  to  attend  the  theater;  to  play  cards;  to  dance; 
to  hold  church  fairs  with  their  many,  and,  in  my 
opinion,  questionable  money-making  schemes?  Why 
inquire  if  the  church  permits  this  and  the  other 
amusements?  Is  the  pastor  your  authority?  Is  the 
church  infallible?  Far  from  it.  If  you  follow  the 
instruction  of  men,  you  will  hardly  know  where  you 
stand,  what  to  do,  or  how  to  act,  because  you  do  not 
find  two  men  that  agree  on  all  points.  Let  your  chief 
inquiry  be.  What  has  Jesus  taught?  What  would  He 
have  me  to  do?  Have  you  not  often  thought  that  if 
Jesus  should  visit  our  sanctuaries  in  these  times, 
He  would  find  things  here  less  suitable  to  His  service 
than  the  oxen,  the  sheep,  and  the  doves  which  He 
drove  from  the  temple,  and  the  tables  of  the  money 
changers  which  He  overturned?  Let  any  one  come 
to  Jesus  with  an  honest,  earnest  desire  to  learn  of 
Him,  and  I  will  guarantee  that  such  a  one's  conduct 
will  be  consistent  before  men  and  pleasing  to  God. 


LEARNING   OF  CHRIST.  667 

No  one  ever  went  astray  who  followed  the  instruc- 
tions of  Jesus.  To  every  one  He  says  "  Follow  thou 
Me." 

The  Model  Worker. 

Let  us  come  to  Him  as  the  model  worker,  and  learn 
the  character  of  the  service  that  is  required  of  us. 
Prominent  throughout  His  whole  life  is  one  fact,  that 
He  was  among  men  "as  one  that  did  serve."  The 
history  of  His  ministry  is  summed  up  in  the  one  com- 
prehensive utterance,  "He  went  about  doing  good." 
Good  to  the  bodies  and  to  the  souls  of  men,  good  to 
all  classes  of  men ;  the  publicans  and  sinners  whom 
He  received  and  saved;  the  accursed  Canaanite, 
whose  daughter  He  healed ;  the  hated  Samaritan,  to 
whom  He  announced  Himself  as  the  Messiah ;  the  Ro- 
man centurion,  whose  servant  He  restored  to  health ; 
the  honored  ruler,  whose  daughter  He  raised  to  life ;  a 
ruined  world,  which  He  came  to  save,  by  giving  His 
life  for  it. 

When  His  disciples  disputed  as  to  who  should 
have  the  highest  place  in  His  kingdom,  He  taught 
them  and  all  His  followers  through  all  succeeding 
ages  the  one  great  lesson :  "  Whosoever  will  be  chief 
among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant.  Even  as  the 
Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many." 
Is  it  not  startling  that  we  can  scarcely  see  a  trace  of 


568  LEARNING  OF  CHRIST. 

His  humble,  self-sacrificing  spirit  in  the  lives  of  many 
of  those  who  claim  to  be  His  followers  and  represen- 
tatives? Compare  with  Him  the  hierarchy  of  the 
church.  We  see  Him  despised  and  rejected  of  men, 
because  of  His  humble  origin ;  while  they  are  honored 
and  revered  of  their  fellows,  because  of  their  official 
position.  He  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head  in  His 
own  creation,  depending  as  He  did  on  the  hospitality 
and  the  love  of  His  creatures  for  food,  shelter,  and 
rest ;  but  they,  in  their  costly  palaces,  were  surrounded 
with  luxury  and  wealth,  attended  with  a  retinue  of 
servants.  Surely  this  does  not  look  like  learning  of 
Christ. 

While  we  can  not  condemn  too  severely  such  wor- 
ship of  the  creature,  such  abuse  of  trust  committed  to 
men,  such  wresting  of  power  to  selfish  ends,  is  it  not 
true  that  there  is  cause  for  alarm  lest  the  same  spirit 
should  show  itself  in  our  ranks,  so  far  as  there  is 
room  for  its  operation?  Judging  from  the  love  of 
gain,  from  strife  and  scramble  for  popularity,  fame, 
and  position,  we  conclude  that  many  lose  sight  of  the 
great  lesson  taught  in  the  life  and  saying  of  Christ: 
"WTiosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be 
your  servant," 

The  value  of  our  life  will  be  measured  not  by  what 
we  have,  not  by  what  we  know,  but  by  the  use  we 
make  of  our  knowledge  and  possessions.  Why  will 
Lincoln  and  Washington  have  a  foremost  place  in  the 


LEARNINO  OF  CHRIST.  669 

history  of  this  republic?  Is  it  because  one  was  culti- 
vated aud  retined,  and  the  other  was  frank  and  hon- 
est? No.  We  seldom  think  of  these  qualities;  but 
it  is  because  one  did  so  much  to  establish,  and  the 
other  to  perpetuate  this  great  republic.  Why  have 
the  names  of  Luther  and  Calvin,  Wesley  and  Bunyan, 
and  Baxter  and  Carey  and  Judson  become  household 
names  in  our  homes?  Because  they  were  men  of  great 
learning?  No;  but  because  of  what  they  did  in  the 
service  of  Christ.  In  the  history  of  the  early  church 
more  space  is  given  to  the  life  of  the  Apostle  Paul 
than  to  all  the  others.  Do  you  ask  why?  He  gives 
us  the  answer:  "In  labors  more  abundant  than  they 
all."  "Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in 
Christ  Jesus."  It  is  to  the  faithful  in  labor  that  He 
will  say :  '*  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant. " 

T/ie  Perfect  Expounder  of  Divine  Love. 

Once  more,  let  us  come  to  Him  as  the  perfect  ex- 
pounder of  the  Divine  character,  and  learn  of  Him  the 
nature  of  His  Father's  love.  Life  is  to  us  a  mystery. 
Questions  that  perplex  and  puzzle  us  confront  us 
on  every  side.  If  left  to  the  light  of  nature,  reason, 
and  science,  we  could  never  harmonize  the  sorrow  and 
suffering  of  this  world  with  the  loving  nature  of  God. 
When  you  pause  to  consider  that  the  whole  world 
moves  under  its  terrible  load  of  agony ;  that  not  man 
alone  is  subject  to  suffering;  that  "the  whole  creation 


570  LEARNING  OF  CHRIST. 

groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now," 
you  ask  the  question,  Is  the  God  that  made  it  a  God 
of  love?  You  are  enchanted  with  the  song  of  the  bird. 
All  at  once  the  notes  of  the  sweet  songster  are  forever 
hushed.  You  observe  on  the  ground  close  by  the  bird 
of  prey  making  his  breakfast  on  its  warm  blood.  You 
say  to  yourself :  "  Ah,  what  cruelty !  "  Your  child 
is  helpless  in  your  arms.  It  is  pale  and  emaciated 
with  disease  or  is  writhing  with  pain.  You  say :  "  I 
can  not  understand  this."  You  may  see  a  reason  why 
a  criminal  should  suffer  the  consequences  of  his  evil 
doings,  but  why  this  innocent  child  should  suffer  is 
more  than  you  can  solve.  You  try  to  lead  an  honest, 
upright  life,  and  yet  that  life  is  full  of  trouble  and 
sorrow.  If  God  is  Love,  why  not  spare  His  creatures 
these  afflictions?  Ah,  let  us  not  forget  that  man  is  a 
sinner,  and  that  sin  brought  the  sorrow.  If  you  want 
to  know  the  loving  nature  of  God,  the  Father,  study 
it  as  revealed  in  the  gift  of  His  beloved  Son,  in  the 
redemptive  work  of  Christ.  "  He  so  loved  the  world 
that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son."  If  you  want 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  magnitude  of  God's  love, 
watch  with  Jesus  in  Gethsemane ;  take  your  stand  at 
the  cross  and  compute  if  you  can  the  worth  of  the  sac- 
rifice that  is  laid  on  that  altar.  Whatever  mysteries 
may  beset  you,  rest  assured  of  this  fact :  that  "  God  is, 
in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not  im- 
puting their  trespasses  unto  them."     At  best  "  we  see 


LEARNING  OF  CHRIST.  571 

only  through  a  glass  darkly"  here.  We  know  only  in 
part.  By  and  by  we  shall  see  "  face  to  face,"  and  we 
shall  know  "even  as  we  are  known."  You  remember 
how  you  did  in  your  school  days.  When  there  were 
questions  you  did  not  understand,  you  waited  till 
school  was  dismissed,  and  you  took  them  to  the 
teacher.  Very  soon  our  school  session  will  be  closed, 
and  it  will  be  our  privilege  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  the 
divine  Teacher,  who  will  explain  to  us  all  mysteries. 
And  He  Himself  will  feed  us  and  lead  us  to  fountains 
of  living  water. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


EDWARDS,  REV.  EBENEZER,  was  born  in  Denbighshire, 
North  Wales,  being  the  son  of  a  Baptist  minister.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  to  preach.  In  1850,  having 
been  ordained  at  Pembroke,  he  removed  to  this  country. 
Being  very  much  interested  in  the  subject  of  foreign 
missions,  he  entered  Madison  University,  New  York, 
where  he  studied  four  and  a  half  years  with  the  object 
of  becoming  a  missionary.  The  missionary  board  then 
assigned  him  to  Nowgong,  Assam,  and  he  had  sailed  for 
Wales  to  bid  adieu  to  his  relatives  when  failing  health 
and  the  Sepoy  mutiny  thwarted  his  purpose  to  labor  in 
heathen  lands.  For  two  years  he  was  unable  to  preach 
at  all.  But  upon  recovery  he  settled  in  Hartlepool, 
Durham,  where  he  remained  for  four  years,  returning  to 
this  country  in  1868.  After  serving  churches  in  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania,  the  ill  health  of  himself  and 
his  wife  suggested  a  residence  in  Florida,  where  they 
lived  two  years.  Mr.  Edwards  then  returned  and  took 
charge  of  the  Welsh  and  English  Baptist  churches  at 
Minersville,  Pa.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the 
Ministerial  Union,  moderator  of  the  Welsh  Association 
of  Northeastern  Pennsylvania,  and  is  now  moderator  of 
the  Reading  Association  (English) .  He  has  written  con- 
siderably for  the  magazines  and  is  widely  known  as  a 
temperance  man,  being  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the 
Order  of  Good  Templars.  Mr.  Edwards  has  always  been 
very  prominent  in  Welsh -American  life  in  this  country, 
578 


674  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

and  has  been  a  constant  winner  of  prizes  at  the  eistedd- 
fodan,  or  musical  literary  competitions.  At  the  World's 
Fair  International  Eisteddfod  he  won  the  William  Penn 
$600  prize  for  an  essay  on  "  Welshmen  as  Factors  in  the 
Civil,  Political,  and  Moral  Formation  and  Development 
of  the  United  States.  " 

EDWARDS,  REV.  T.  CYNONFARDD,  D.D.,  pastor  of 
the  Welsh  Congregational  Church  of  Edwardsdale,  Pa. , 
since  January  1,  1878,  was  born  at  Landore,  Swansea, 
Wales,  December  6,  1848,  and  ordained  at  Mineral 
Ridge,  Ohio,  January  1,  1871.  He  was  educated  at 
Presbyterian  College,  Carmarthen ;  was  professor  of 
elocution  and  oratory  at  Wyoming  Seminary  for  ten 
years  ;  received  his  D.D.,  in  1891,  from  Marietta  College, 
Ohio.  Among  his  own  nationality  Dr.  Edwards  has 
filled  the  foremost  positions  in  Wales  and  America,  in 
the  colleges,  the  eisteddfods,  and  the  church. 

He  has  published  a  volume  of  his  poetical  works,  and 
two  volumes  on  elocution  and  oratory — one  in  Welsh, 
and  one  in  English.  His  church  at  Edwardsdale  is 
ranked  among  the  foremost  of  Welsh  churches  in  the 
United  States. 

EVANS,  REV.  OWEN,  was  born  at  Dolffannog,  Talyllyn, 
Merionethshire,  in  North  Wales,  August  3,  1842.  At 
the  age  of  seven  he  was  sent  to  a  common  school  near 
Corris,  and  to  a  similar  school  at  Llanfihangel  y  Pen- 
nant, and  subsequently  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  three 
different  British  schools  located  at  Bryncrug,  Aberdovey, 
and  Dyffryn-ar-dudwy.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  went 
to  a  boarding-school  at  Shireland  Hall,  Birmingham,  and 
the  next  year  to  Bala  College  as  a  lay-student,  where  he 
remained  from  1857-62,  with  the  exception  of  intervals 
of  sickness  compelling  him  to  repair  home,  thus  proving 
detrimental  to  his  studies.     During  this  time,  at  sixteen 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  575 

years  of  age,  lie  commenced  to  preach.  lu  18G4  his 
father  died,  leaving  him  to  struggle  alone  with  ill -health 
and  poverty,  his  mother  having  died  fifteen  years  previ- 
ously. Three  years  after  he  received  and  accepted  a  call 
from  three  small  churches  in  Flintshire ;  and  was  or- 
dained in  1868,  with  several  others,  at  Mold  Association. 
In  1870  he  came  to  this  country  and  settled  as  pastor  of 
the  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  re- 
turning to  Wales  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  wife's 
family  in  1874,  and  has  since  been  in  charge  of  the  fol- 
lowing churches:  Ruthin,  1875-82,  Bolton,  1882-88, 
Colwyn  Bay,  1888-95.  He  came  the  second  time  to 
this  country  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1895  to  take  charge 
of  the  Welsh  church,  Minneapolis. 

EVANS,  REV.  LLEWELLYN  L,  D.D..  LL.D.,  was  born 
at  Trenddyn,  near  Mold,  North  Wales,  June  27,  1833. 
Professor  Evans's  grandfather  was  an  intelligent  and 
strong-minded  man.  When  the  adoption  of  a  confes- 
sion of  faith  was  discussed  at  Llanfyllin  in  1823,  his 
grandfather.  Rev.  R.  Roberts,  protested  against  "the  re- 
striction contained  in  the  words,  'and  they  [the  elect] 
only  '";  he  called  it  "an  unscriptural  restriction,  and 
charged  the  article  with  being  wise  above  what  is  writ- 
ten. "  Those  who  favored  the  article  were  led  by  John 
Elias.  Mr.  Elias  and  his  supporters  contended  that  the 
article  was  simply  an  abridgment  of  one  aaopted  many 
years  earlier  in  Bala  ;  however,  Mr.  Roberts  succeeded  in 
having  the  matter  postponed  to  a  following  association. 

In  the  year  1857  the  family  emigrated  to  the  United 
States.  They  reached  Racine,  Wis.,  in  the  mouth  of 
September.  The  father.  Rev.  E.  T.  Evans,  became  pas- 
tor of  the  Welsh  churcL  at  that  place.  Young  Evans, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  sent  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
to  Bala  College  in  North  Wales.  After  the  family  had 
settled  at  Racine,    Wis.,   young  Evans  entered    Racine 


576  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

College,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.S.  in  1854  and  that 
of  A.B.  in  1856.  The  same  year  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  state  legislature  and  was  made  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  education.  After  having  served  a 
term  he  found  the  climate  too  severe  for  his  health  and 
he  resigned.  Early  in  1857  he  accepted  an  appointment 
on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Cincinatti  Gazette,  and  re- 
moved to  that  city.  While  there  he  became  convinced 
that  the  ministry  was  his  work.  The  result  was  that  in 
the  fall  of  1857  Llewellyn  Evans  was  enrolled  as  a 
student  in  Lane  Seminary ;  he  took  the  full  three  years' 
course.  At  the  expiration  of  the  term  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  Lane  Seminary  Church.  He  served  it  for  a  period 
of  three  years. 

In  1863  he  was  elected  professor  of  church  history  in 
Lane  Seminary.  In  1867  he  was  transferred  to  the  chair 
of  Biblical  literature.  In  1871  the  chair  was  divided 
and  Dr.  Evans  took  the  division  of  Hebrew  and  Old- 
Testament  exegesis.  At  the  death  of  Dr.  Thomas  E. 
Thomas,  in  1875,  Dr.  Evans  was  transferred  to  the  New- 
Testament  department,  which  position  he  retained  until 
his  death. 

In  the  autumn  of  1891,  Dr.  Evans  received  an  invita- 
tion from  the  authorities  of  the  Theological  College  at 
Bala,  North  Wales— the  scene  of  his  early  studies.  The 
action  of  the  General  Assembly  at  Detroit,  which  disap- 
proved the  election  of  Dr.  Briggs  and  the  continuance 
of  the  attack  by  the  denominational  press,  led  Dr.  Evans 
to  accept,  and  changed  the  current  of  his  life.  "It  will 
not  do  at  this  day,  "  he  said,  "  to  condemn  any  man  on  the 
theory  of  inerrancy. "  He  was  in  favor  of  Dr.  Briggs 
and  of  a  comprehensive  and  generous  Presbyterianism. 
The  leave-taking  at  Lane  Seminary  was  very  painful. 
He  was  cordially  welcomed  at  Bala,  North  Wales.  But 
his  health  was  in  a  poor  state,  and  he  had  an  attack  of  "  an- 
gina pectoris,"   In  reply  to  his  wife's  exclamation,  "Do 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  577 

not  leave  me  !"  Dr.  Evans  said  :  "  It  is  as  the  Lord  wills ; 
if  His  time  has  come,  I  am  ready  to  go. "  lie  then 
calmly  gave  her  his  message  for  bis  son,  absent  at  scbool. 
He  rallied  a  little  and  wrote  a  letter  to  bis  son.  It  was  a 
bright  letter  and  full  of  hope.  Two  days  after  another 
severe  paroxysm  came  on,  and  the  doctor  never  rallied. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  July  25,  1893,  be  became  uncon- 
scious, and  bis  spirit  passed  away. 

EVANS,  REV.  FREDERICK,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Llandybie, 
Carmarthenshire,  South  Wales.  April  21,  1840,  and  was 
educated  at  Pontypool  College,  Monmouthshire,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  honors.  In  1878  bo  received 
the  degree  of  D.D.  from  William  and  i^Iary  College, 
Va.  His  pastorates  were  at  Llangynedr,  Breconshire 
(1861-66)  ;  the  Welsh  Baptist  Church,  Hyde  Park, 
Scrantou,  Pa.  (1866-69)  ;  Laight  Street  Baptist  Church, 
New  York  City  (1869-70)  ;  the  Central  Baptist  Church, 
New  York  City  (1870-74)  ;  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
Franklin,  Pa.  (1874-85)  ;  the  Tenth  Baptist  Church, 
Philadelphia  (1885-92)  ;  and  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Milwaukee  (1893-96).  He  died  July  21,  1897,  at 
Llandybie,  his  birthplace. 

EVANS,  REV.  G.  M.,  was  born  at  Llandebie,  Wales,  Janu- 
ary 10,  1858.  He  and  his  five  brothers  became  clergy- 
men. Being  converted  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  he 
preached  his  first  sermon  before  he  was  sixteen.  The 
same  year  he  entered  Arnold  College,  Swansea,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  honors.  He  studied  theology  at 
Pontypool  Seminary.  He  was  ordained  nt  IMerthyr-Tyd- 
vil.  South  Wales,  where  he  preached  in  liis  native  tongue 
for  four  years.  Being  compelled  by  ill  health  to  leave 
Wales,  he  emigrated  in  1884  to  the  United  States.  His 
first  pastorates  were  at  Stonebore  and  Union  City,  Pa. 
In  1887  he  was  called  to  the  First  Church,  Manayunk, 
37 


578  BIOGRAPiilCAL  SKETCHES. 

Pa. ,  and  thence  to  Chester,  Conn.  He  is  now  in  charge 
at  Loug  Island  City,  N.  Y.,  where  he  has  been  for  sev- 
eral years. 

IIAREIS,  REV.  B.,  was  born  at  Rhymney,  South  Wales, 
March  11,  1864.  He  was  received  into  the  fellowship 
of  Moriah  Welsh  Independent  Church  by  Rev.  D.  Silyn 
Evans  in  1877.  He  served  as  pupil-teacher  at  the  Lower 
Rhymney  schools  for  five  years,  and  afterward  as  assist- 
ant master  for  several  years.  In  1886  he  married  Miss 
M.  A.  Thomas,  head-mistress  of  Lower  Rhymney  Infant 
School.  The  next  year  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  was  ordained  at  Frostburg,  Ind.,  July  1,  1888.  He 
was  pastor  of  the  Homestead  Congregational  Church, 
1891-93,  Alliance,  Ohio,  from  1892-95.  and  Palmyra, 
Ohio,  in  1895-98.  He  took  charge  of  Lawrence  Street 
Congregational  Church,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  29,  1898, 
where  he  now  is. 

HARRIS,  REV.  JOHN  HOWARD,  D.D..  LL.D.,  the  son  of 
Reese  Harris,  who  came  to  America  in  1830,  was  born  in 
1847,  and  after  serving  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  entered  Bucknell  University  in  1865, 
graduating  A.B.  in  1869,  and  receiving  the  degree  A.M. 
in  1872.  He  received  the  doctorate  of  philosophy  from 
Lafayette  College  in  1884  ;  and  of  laws  from  Colgate  Uni- 
versity and  also  from  Dickinson  College  in  1891.  Mr. 
Harris  spent  the  first  twenty  years  after  graduation  in 
founding  Keystone  Academy.  During  that  time  he  served 
also  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  seven  years, 
and  as  pastor  of  the  church  for  nine  years.  In  1889,  Dr. 
Harris  was  elected  President  of  Bucknell  University,  a 
position  which  he  now  holds. 

HUGHES,  REV.  MORIEN  MON,  Ph.D.,  was  born  in  the 
parish  of  Llanerchymedd,  Auglesea,  North  Wales,  Au- 
gust 10,  1857.     He  was  educated  at  the  British  school, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  579 

Rhosj'bol,  the  principal  being  Dr.  John  Rhys,  the  great 
Celtic  scholar,  -svlio  is  now  president  of  Oxford  College, 
England.     Mr.  Hughes  was  for  some  time  an  assistant 
tutor  under  Dr.  John  Rliys  at  the  above  ph\ce.    lie  began 
to  preach  at  the  age  af  eighteen,  at  which  period  he  took 
a  course  of  study  in  theology  under  the  late  John  Prich- 
ard  of  Amlwch.    In  the  year  1881  lie  emigrated  to  Anier 
ica,  and,  after  having  identified  liimself  witli  the  Congre- 
gationalists,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  December 
11,  1884,  in  the  State  of  Ohio.     In  1894  lie  received  ai; 
invitation  to  succeed  the  Rev.  Morris  Roberts  at  Roir, 
sen,  N.  Y.     During  the  years  1885-80  Mr.  Hughes  tra^ 
eled  Europe,  at  the  same  time  holding  evangelistic  ser 
vices,  and  has  written  extensively  to  Welsh  and  Engl  is- li 
periodicals.     In  the  year  1894  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  wj; 
conferred  upon  him.     For  the  second  time  he  has  been 
elected  as  a  candidate  for  the  Assembly  on  the  Prohibi- 
tion ticket.     In  the  year  1894  he  received  a  unanimous 
call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Welsli  Congregational 
Church,  Rome,  N.  Y.,  where  he  now  labors. 

JOMES,  REV.  JENKIN  LLOYD,  is  the  sou  of  Richard  and 
Mary  Lloyd  Jones,  formerly  of  Blaencathal,  near  Llan- 
dyssul  in  Cardiganshire,  Wales.  He  was  born  at  this 
place  on  the  14th  day  of  November,  1843.  His  parents 
moved  into  the  wilds  of  territorial  Wisconsin  wlien  ho 
was  a  year  old,  the  father  being  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  the  Welsh  settlement  of  I.xonia.  After  thsit  he 
lived  in  the  Welsh  settlement  of  Spring  Green,  Wis. 
Mr.  Jones  worked  on  the  farm  in  summer  and  attended 
school  in  winter  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  When 
a  little  over  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Si.\tli  Wisconsin  battery  and  saw  active  service  as  a 
private  clear  through  the  war  in  the  Army  of  tlie  Ten- 
nessee under  Generals  Grant,  Shermnn,  McPhersoti,  Lo- 
gan, etc.,  in  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Raymond,  Champion 


580  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

Hills,  Jackson ;  the  sieges  of  Vicksburg,  Chattanooga, 
and  Nashville,  and  attendant  campaigns. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  taught  school  and  worked 
on  the  farm  the  first  year  and  then  studied  four  years  at 
the  Mead ville  (Pa.)  Theological  School.  He  began  his 
ministry  in  1870,  and  was  ten  years  pastor  of  All  Souls' 
Church,  Janesville,  Wis.  During  most  of  this  time  he 
was  secretary  of  the  Western  Unitarian  Conference, 
which  he  served  for  nine  years.  He  organized  and  was 
the  first  secretary  of  the  Western  Unitarian  Sunday- 
School  Society,  and  in  1873  published  the  first  Sunday- 
school  lesson  leaflet  issued  by  that  denomination.  In 
1878  he,  with  others,  established  Unity,  a  weekly  paper, 
of  which  after  the  first  year  he  has  continued  to  be  edi- 
tor-in-chief up  to  the  present  time.  In  1882  he  organ- 
ized All  Souls'  Church,  Chicago,  of  which  he  is  still 
pastor.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Parliament  of  Religions 
held  in  Chicago  in  connection  with  the  Columbian  expo- 
sition, and  prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  Liberal 
Congress  of  Religions,  which  was  an  outgrowth  of  the 
Parliament,  in  1893,  and  of  which  he  is  general  secre- 
tary. Believing  that  the  sectarian  spirit  is  a  menace  to 
religion,  he  and  his  church  have  laid  aside  all  sectarian 
affiliations,  and  they  are  independent  of  all  denomina- 
tional ties.  All  Souls'  Church  is  open  every  day  in  the 
week  all  the  year  round  with  study  classes,  library  and 
reading-rooms,  etc.,  etc.  Mr.  Jones  is  at  present  wri- 
ting president  of  the  Illinois  State  Conference  of  Chari- 
ties ;  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Amer- 
ican Humane  Society,  of  the  councils  of  the  Municipal 
League,  and  of  the  Associated  Charities  Organization  of 
Chicago.  Since  the  organization  of  the  Liberal  Congress 
the  paper  he  founded  was  reorganized  under  the  name  of 
IJie  New  Unity,  and  is  the  official  organ  of  that  body.  It 
is  at  present  the  only  liberal  weekly  religious  paper 
representing  the  non-credal  and  undenominational  move- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  581 

metit  iu  religion  published  in  tlie  Mississippi  valley. 
Mr.  Jones  is  president  of  the  Tower  Hill  Summer  School 
of  Literature  and  Religion,  Tower  Hill,  situated  near 
Spring  Green,  Wis.,  where  he  has  his  summer  home.  In 
1883  he  organized  the  lirst  Browning  class  iu  this  coun- 
try outside  of  college  circles,  and  he  was  the  founder  and 
first  president  of  the  Chicago  Browning  Society.  lie  is 
a  "lecturer  in  English"  in  the  University  Extension 
Department  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 

JONES,  REV.  RHYS  GWESYN,  D.D.,  was  born  at  Peny- 
wern  Abergwesyn,  Breconshire,  Wales,  May  4, 1836.  He 
commenced  to  preach  in  February,  1845,  prepared  for 
college  at  Hanover,  Monmouthshire,  with  Rev.  L.  C. 
Powell,  entered  Brecon  College  in  1847,  was  ordained  at 
Rhayader,  Radnor,  October  1,  1851,  removed  to  Bridgend, 
Glamorganshire,  in  1857,  and  was  called  to  Bethesda 
Merthyr  Tydvil,  in  1859.  He  and  his  family  emigrated 
to  America  in  1867  iu  answer  to  a  call  from  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  In  1879  Mr. 
Jones  visited  California,  and  remained  there  four  years 
as  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Peta- 
luma.  In  1883  he  returned  to  Utica  and  was  called  to  re- 
sumo  the  pastorate  at  the  First  Church  of  that  city,  and 
also  of  the  New  York  Mills  Church.  He  preaches  regu- 
larly three  times  every  Sunday  and  attends  three  weekly 
meetings.  He  has  not  failed  to  preach  one  Sabbath  on 
account  of  sickness  since  his  ordination  to  the  ministry, 
altho  during  the  greatest  part  of  hia  ministerial  life  he 
has  been  obliged  to  preach  three  times  on  the  Sabbath 
and  many  times  during  the  week. 

JONES,  REV.  R.  T.,  D.D.,  was  born  March  25,  1855,  near 
Penllwyn,  five  miles  from  Aberystwyth,  Cardiganshire, 
South  Wales.  His  father,  AVilliam  R.  Jones,  was  born 
and  reared  on  a  farm  called  Torglwyd,  a  short  distance 


582  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

from  Aberystwyth.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Margaret  Lewis,  was  a  native  of  Peullwyn.  Soon 
after  hi3  birth  the  family  bought  a  piece  of  ground  near 
Goginan,  erected  a  house  thereon  and  called  the  place 
Penybanc.  In  1867  the  parents  with  nine  children  emi- 
grated to  this  country  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Spring 
Brook,  Pa.  He  spent  some  time  at  Wilkesbarre  and 
Warrior  Run,  Pa.,  working  in  the  coal-mines.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  he  united  with  the  Calvinistic  Methodist 
•or  the  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church  of  Spring  Brook, 
where  he  began  early  to  exercise  his  gifts,  and  in  1875 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Welsh  Presbytery  of 
Northern  Pennsylvania.  In  1871  he  entered  Wyoming 
Seminary,  Kingston,  Pa.,  and  on  receiving  his  diploma 
from  that  institution  he  entered  Princeton  University, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1879.  He  then  took  the 
regular  three  years'  course  in  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary  and  graduated  in  1882.  Early  in  the  spring 
of  the  same  year  he  received  and  accepted  a  call  from 
the  Susquehanna  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  of  Phila- 
delphia— a  church  just  then  organized  with  twenty-three 
members.  He  began  his  work  on  the  first  Sabbath  of 
May,  1882.  On  June  5,  he  was  examined  for  ordination 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  ordained 
and  installed  on  June  8.  Dr.  Jones  has  been  moderator, 
and  a  number  of  times  delegate,  to  the  Synod  and  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  for  four  years  he  has  been  serving  on 
the  committee  of  examination  and  credentials.  In  May, 
1895,  Rutherford  College  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of 
D.D.  During  his  pastorate  of  sixteen  j^ears,  a  large  and 
beautiful  church  edifice  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of 
nearly  !560,000,  and  1,087  persons  have  been  received  into 
church-membership.  At  present  there  are  on  the  roll  of 
communicants  670  active  members,  and  a  Sunday-school 
of  nearly  700  scholars. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  583 

JONES,  REV.  SAMUEL,  was  born  at  Bcthacdu,  North 
Wales,  in  the  year  1830.  He  was  educated  at  the  gram- 
mar school  established  in  his  own  native  town.  In  the 
year  1864  he  was  invited  by  the  Welsh  Congregational 
Church  of  Middle-Grauville,  N.  Y.,  to  undertake  the 
pastorate.  He  was  ordained  there  on  October  24  of  the 
same  year.  He  remained  pastor  of  the  cliurch  until 
1872,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  Red  Oak,  Iowa.  After 
serving  the  cause  of  Christ  at  that  place  for  several  years 
he  removed  to  Carrol,  Nebr. 

.TONES,  REV.  R.  S.,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Carmarthenshire, 
South  Wales,  not  far  from  the  town  of  New  Castle,  and 
received  the  common-school  education  given  in  the  neigh- 
borhood schools.  After  preparation  in  the  grammar 
school  of  Prof.  T.  T.  Elias,  at  New  Castle,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  Brecon  College,  in  June,  1864.  Four  years 
later  he  graduated,  and  was  at  once  ordained  at  Treves, 
near  Bridgend,  Glamorganshire.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he 
came  to  America,  and,  the  next  spring,  became  pastor  of 
the  Providence  Welsh  Congregational  Church  at  Scran- 
ton,  Pa.,  where  he  is  still  in  charge.  In  1890,  while  on 
a  visit  to  Europe,  he  was  made  a  D.D.  by  Marietta  Col- 
lege, Ohio. 

LLOYD,  REV.  JOHN  ELWY,  was  born  near  the  city  of 
St.  Asaph,  Wales.  His  early  education  was  received  in 
the  local  grammar  school  and  in  the  newspaper  oflices 
in  Liverpool.  In  1868  he  came  to  this  country  and  pre- 
pared for  Princeton,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated in  1874  and  from  the  seminary  three  years  later.  He 
began  preaching  in  the  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church, 
New  York  City,  but  his  first  pastoral  work  was  per- 
formed for  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Kyegatc,  Vt.  In 
1879  he  was  called  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Boonville,  N.  Y.,  and    then   to  the  First  Presbyterian 


684  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

Church  of  Nyack-on-the-Hudson,  Mr.  Lloyd  came  to 
Brooklyn  in  1888,  and  since  that  time  has  been  pastor  of 
the  Twelfth  Street  Reformed  Church  of  that  city. 

MORGAN,  REV.  VYRNWY,  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
Morgan,  of  Tyr  Eglwys  Cwm-Avon,  Port  Talbot,  South 
Wales,  and  brother  of  the  Rev  David  Morgan,  B.A. 
(London),  B.D.  (Edinburgh),  Congregational  minister 
of  Goole,  Yorkshire,  England.  Mr.  Morgan  was  born 
on  March  20,  1860,  at  Cwm-Avon,  where  his  father  su- 
perintends tin-works,  being  also  a  deacon  of  the  First 
Welsh  Congregational  Church,  now  under  the  ministry 
of  Rev.  Daniel  Evans,  a  man  of  acknowledged  ability. 
His  grandfather,  Mr.  John  Morgan,  was  a  deacon  of  the 
same  church  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  was  a  man  of 
considerable  influence  on  account  of  his  unblemished 
character,  wisdom,  and  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. 

Rev.  Vyrnwy  Morgan  was  received  a  member  of  the 
First  Welsh  Congregational  Church  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen, the  pastor  being  Rev.  Edward  Roberts,  one  of  the 
most  philosophical.  Scriptural,  and  practical  preachers  in 
the  whole  of  the  principality  of  Wales.  His  rare  and 
noble  modesty  caused  him  to  shun  the  usual  methods  of  his 
time  to  gain  popularity.  He  kept  himself  free  from  all 
ministerial  cliques  and  factions,  and  claimed  the  right 
for  all  young  men  to  make  the  best  of  themselves  by  the 
most  honorable  means.  He  remained  pastor  of  the 
church  until  his  death,  a  period  extending  over  forty- 
four  years. 

It  was  under  his  ministry  that  the  Rev.  Vyrnwy  Mor- 
gan began  to  preach  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  After  a  pro- 
bation of  two  years,  Mr.  Morgan  entered  the  Aberavon 
Academy  in  charge  of  Rev.  T.  Richards,  Baptist  Min- 
ister. He  had  for  his  contemporaries  at  that  school  men 
who  have  since  won  considerable  fame  as  scholars  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  585 

preachers,  notably  Principal  S.  Morris,  M.A.  (London), 
of  Bangor,  North  Wales,  and  Rev.  John  Thomas,  M.A. 
(Loudon),  of  Myrtle  Street,  Liverpool. 

From  the  Aberavon  Academy  Mr.  [Morgan  entered 
Brecon  Memorial  College,  then  in  charge  of  Principal 
Morris,  D.D.,  Prof.  D.  Rowlands,  B. A.,  and  Prof.  W. 
Oliver,  M.A. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1884,  ho  took  charge  of  the 
English  Congregational  Mission  Church  of  Llanwddyn, 
North  Wales,  the  present  site  of  the  great  Vyrnwy  Lake, 
Rev.  John  Thomas,  D.D.,  Liverpool,  Professor  Row- 
lands, and  others  ofliciated  at  his  ordination. 

In  September,  1884,  Mr.  Morgan  was  married  at  Christ 
Church,  Oswesty,  to  Miss  Sarah  Edwards,  second  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Edwards,  Baptist  minister,  Brecon 
South  Wales.  Both  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Morgan  have  twice 
visited  the  United  States  on  a  lecturing  and  preaching 
tour. 

In  addition  to  his  first  and  happy  charge  at  Llanwddyn, 
North  Wales,  Mr.  Morgan  has  been  pastor  of  churches  at 
Pontypridd,  Swansea,  Liverpool,  and  London. 

MORRIS,  REV.  EDWARD  DAFYDD,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  is  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  having  been  born  at 
Utica,  October  31,  1825.  He  graduated  from  Yale  in 
1849  and  from  Auburn  Theological  Seminary  three  years 
later.  He  has  been  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  Auburn,  N.  Y.  (1852  to  1855),  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  Columbus,  Ohio  (1855  to  1867), 
and  professor  of  Theology  in  Lane  Theological  Seminary 
since  1874.  He  was  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly 
at  Cleveland  in  1875 ;  a  delegate  to  the  councils  of  Re- 
formed Churches  (Pan-Presbyterian) ,  in  Edinburgh, 
1877,  Philadelphia,  1880,  and  Belfast,  1884;  and  in  1894 
a  member  of  the  committee  on  the  revision  of  the  con- 
fession of  faith,     lie  has  contributed  articles  to  various 


586  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

magazines  and  reviews,  and  has  published  "The  Out- 
lines of  Christian  Doctrine"  (Cincinnati,  1880),  ''Eccle- 
siology"  (New  York,  1884),  "Salvation  After  Death" 
(1887),  "A  Defense  of  Lane  Seminary "  (1893),  and  has 
also  edited  "Scripture  Reading"  (September,  1886). 

NELSON,  REV.  RICHARD  HUGHES,  was  born  in  Angle- 
sea,  North  "Wales,  in  September,  1861.  He  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania  in  May, 
1883,  and  at  once  commenced  to  preach  at  the  Second 
Congregational  Church  of  Wilkesbarre.  In  the  montli 
of  March,  1888,  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  preach  in 
the  Congregational  churches  of  Holland  Patent  and 
Trenton,  N.  Y.,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  he 
was  ordained  pastor  of  these  churches.  In  November, 
1891,  he  removed  to  Nelson,  N.  Y.,  where  he  labors  at 
present.  Mr.  Hughes  has  been  for  several  years  secre- 
tary of  the  Welsh  Association  of  New  York  State. 

NEWTON,  REV.  B.  GWERNYDD,  son  of  George  and  Ann 
Newton,  Gwernymynydd  Mold,  was  born  near  Mold, 
Flintshire,  North  Wales,  April  9,  1865.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  Didsbury  Theological  College,  England,  and 
ordained  into  the  Congregational  ministry  in  1889.  In 
1893  he  came  to  America  and  undertook  the  charge  of 
the  Waterville  Welsh  Congregational  Church,  Water- 
ville,  N.  Y.  Subsequently  he  became  pastor  of  the 
Welsh  Congregational  Church  of  Plymouth,  Pa.  Two 
years  ago  he  went  to  Cleveland,  after  having  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  B.E.  from  the  College  of  Oratory, 
Washington,  D.  C.  Three  brothers  of  his  are  in  the  min- 
istry in  England,  Rev.  G.  Talalun  Newton,  London ; 
Rev.  Joseph  Newton,  Redruth,  Cornwall ;  Rev.  Isaac 
Newton,  Brighton.  Mr.  Newton  has  published  a  vol- 
ume of  sermons  entitled  "Glimpses  of  God,  "  which  has 
been  well  received  and  had  a  wide  circulation. 


DIOGRAPIllCAL  SKETCHES.  587 

PARRY,  REV.  JOHN  HUGHES,  was  boru  at  Diuorwig, 
North  AVales,  in  1844.  He  was  educateil  at  the  British 
school  of  his  native  place,  and  at  Ban£,or  College.  After 
some  years  spent  in  teaching,  ho  entered  the  ministry 
of  the  Calvinistic  Mctliodist  (Prcshyterijin)  Church  of 
■NVules,  and  successively  held  the  pastorates  of  the  fol- 
lowing churches:  Crewe  (Welsh),  1873;  Welshpool 
(English),  1877;  Oswestry  (English),  1880;  Holyhead, 
(Welsh),  1888;  Utica,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A.  (Welsh),  1894. 

I'ARRY,  REV.  THOMAS,  D.D.,  was  born  on  a  small  farm 
called  Rhewl  in  Wales.  While  yet  a  boy  he  came  to 
America  and  went  West.  After  preparing  at  Wayland 
Academy,  Beaver  Dam,  Wis.,  he  entered  Princeton 
College,  graduating  tiierefrom  in  1870.  While  at  the 
Princeton  Seminary  he  gained  fame  by  translating 
Kant's  "Critique"  and  Aristotle's  "Ethics."  After  a 
preaching  "itinerary"  throughout  the  West  he  was  ap- 
pointed pastor  at  Constantine,  Mich.,  and  since  then 
he  has  served  as  piistor  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.,  Chicago,  111.,  and  Frankfort,  Ind.  Dr. 
Parry  has  been  very  popular  as  a  lecturer  on  a  number  of 
literary  and  historical  subjects. 

ROBERTS,  REV.  JOSEPH,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Penmaclino, 
North  Wales.  He  recci'.ed  the  most  careful  religious 
training,  and  early  indicated  his  preference  for  the  min- 
istry and  showed  signs  of  special  ability  for  the  work. 
He  received  his  education  in  Wales,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1S70  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  work  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Poultney,  Vt.  In  187,5  he  accepted  a  call  to  tlie 
Welsh  Calvinistic  Methodist  Church  at  Racine,  Wis.,  one 
of  the  strongest  churches  in  this  country,  where  he  labored 
for  fifteen  years.  In  1889  he  accepted  a  unanimous 
call  to  the  Welsh  Church  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  he 
ministered  with  great  success  until  November,  1894,  when 


588  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

he  became  pastor  of  the  Welsh  Church  on  East  Thirteenth 
Street,  New  York  City,  where  he  now  is.  Dr.  Roberts 
has  contributed  valuable  essays  to  Welsh  periodicals,  and 
published  a  book  on  "  Religion  and  Science,  "  which  has 
an-ested  the  attention  of  the  Welsh  both  iu  England  and 
Anaerica. 

ROBERTS,  REV.  PETER,  Ph.D.,  was  bom  in  Dowlais, 
Glamorganshire,  South  Wales,  August,  1859,  and  educated 
at  Academy  Grammar  School  of  Llangadog,  Carmarthen- 
shire College,  and  Brecon  Memorial  College,  of  the  class 
of  1883.  In  this  country  he  attended  the  professional 
school  and  the  theological  seminary  of  Yale  University, 
of  the  class  of  1886,  and  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  in  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  of  Scran - 
ton,  Pa. ,  November,  1886.  He  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
Olyphant  Congregational  Church  since  September,  1891, 
where  he  has  been  highly  successful. 

ROBERTS,  REV.  WILLIAM,  D.D.,  was  born  September 
25,  1809,  at  Llanerchymedd,  Anglesea,  Wales.  He  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education,  which  was  completed  at 
the  Presbyterian  Collegiate  Institution,  Dublin,  Ireland, 
in  1831.  While  a  student  in  Dublin,  Dr.  Roberts 
founded  theWelsh  Calvinistic  Methodist  or  Presbyterian 
Church  in  that  community,  which  is  now  a  flourishing 
congregation.  Dr.  Roberts  began  preaching  in  1829, 
and  until  1835  was  engaged  in  the  regular  supply  of 
churches  in  different  parts  of  the  principality.  In  the 
latter  year  he  established  an  academy  at  Holyhead  for 
the  preparation  of  young  men  for  college,  and  also  be- 
came the  minister  of  Moriah  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church. 
In  1349  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Countess 
of  Huntingdon's  Chapel,  at  Runcorn,  near  Liverpool, 
England,  where  he  remained  until  1855.  For  this  field 
he  was  especially  fitted  by  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  English  language,  which  he  had  acquired  in  boyhood. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  589 

It  is  said  that  at  six  years  of  age  he  could  read  well  in 
either  the  Welsh  or  the  English  Bible.  In  the  midst  of 
his  successful  pastorate  at  Runcorn,  he  was  called,  in  the 
year  1855,  to  the  Welsh  Calvinistic  Methodist  or  Presbj 
terian  Church,  New  York  City.  His  acceptance  of  this 
call  and  entrance  upon  the  work  there  was  the  beginning 
of  great  prosperity  for  the  church.  A  new  edifice  was 
soon  erected,  and  he  remained  as  pastor  until  the  year 
1868.  The  pastorate  in  New  York  was  followed  by  pas- 
torates in  Scranton,  Pa.,  from  1869  to  1875,  and  at  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  from  1875  until  the  day  of  his  death.  As  in  New 
York,  so  in  Scranton  and  in  Uticn,  Dr.  Roberts  was  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  erection  of  new  church  edi- 
fices, lie  combined  with  his  pastoral  work  the  labors  of 
an  editor,  editing  a  magazine  called  T  Tnithodydd  {Es- 
say id) ,  from  1867-71,  and  another  called  Y  Cijfaill  (The 
Friend),  the  organ  of  the  Welsh  Presbyterian  church  in 
America,  from  1871-84.  His  church  honored  him  by 
electing  him  several  times  as  moderator  of  its  General 
Assembly,  and  he  was  esteemed  for  the  last  twenty  years 
of  his  life  as  its  leading  minister.  His  labors  further 
were  not  confined  to  his  own  denomination.  He  entered 
heartily  into  the  organization  of  the  alliance  of  the  Re- 
formed churches,  being  present  as  a  representative  of 
his  denomination  at  the  formation  of  the  alliance  in  the 
City  of  New  York  in  1873,  and  continuing  to  be  one  of 
its  firm  supporters.  He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  from  the  University  of  New  York.  In  Wales, 
his  popularity  as  a  preacher  was  great.  The  Rev.  John 
Williams,  of  Anglesea,  says  of  him  "that  without  doubt 
William  Roberts,  with  "William  Charles,  were  accounted 
next  to  John  Elias  in  popular  acceptance, "  and  John  Elias, 
as  is  known,  was  among  the  princes  of  Welsh  preachers. 
His  acceptability  in  the  United  States  was  as  great  as  that 
in  Wales.  In  Wales  he  frequently  addressed  audiences 
of  from  10,000  to  20.000  persons,  and  in  the  United 


690  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

States  of  from  3,000  to  5,000  hearers.  It  is  believed 
that  at  least  5,000  persons  were  converted  under  Dr. 
Roberts's  personal  and  powerful  nsiuistry.  He  died  Oc- 
tober 2,  1887,  leaving  three  living  sous  and  one  daughter. 
One  of  the  sons  is  the  Rev.  William  Henry  Roberts, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  A  biography  in 
Welsh,  written  by  the  Rev.  E.  C.  Evans,  M.A.,  was 
published  in  1890. 

ilOBERTS,  REV.  WILLIAM  CHARLES,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
was  born  at  Aberjstwith,  Cardiganshire,  South  Wales. 
His  father  was  educated  for  the  Established  Church  ol 
England,  but  becauie  a  farmer  and  what  was  known  as 
a  country  squire.  William  Charles  received  his  early 
education  in  the  famous  Evans  Academy,  and  was 
nearly  prepared  for  college  v;hen  the  family  sailed  for 
America,  in  May,  1849.  Within  a  week  after  they  had 
reached  New  York  the  father,  mother,  a  son  and  a 
daughter  died  of  the  cholera,  which  was  then  epidemic. 
Six  orphan  children  were  left,  of  whom  William  Charles 
was  the  eldest,  and  upon  him  developed  largely  the  care 
of  the  surviving  members  of  his  family.  The  three 
older  sons  entered  into  business,  where  William  spent  a 
year  or  two  ;  he  then  returned  to  his  original  plan  of  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry.  He  graduated  with  honors  from 
Princeton  College  in  1855,  and  from  the  Princeton  Theo- 
logical Seminary  three  years  later.  His  first  charge  was 
in  Wilmington,  Del.  Following  this  he  was  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  New  Castle,  Del.  ; 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  Columbus,  Ohio ;  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  and 
the  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  same  city, 
where  he  was  in  charge  for  sixteen  years.  Dr.  Roberts 
has  been  a  trustee  of  Lafayette  College  ;  a  member  of  the 
committee  that  established  Worcester  University ;  a 
trustee  of  Princeton  College,  modern ter  of  the  Synod  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  591 

New  Jersey,  delegate  to  the  First  Presbyterian  General 
Council  in  Edinburgh,  a  president  of  tlie  Board  of  Home 
ilissions.  president  of  Laice  Forrtst  University,  chair- 
man of  the  General  Assembly  of  1890,  and  now  President 
of  Centre  College,  Kentucky. 

ROBERTS,  WILLIAM  HENRY,  D.D.,  LL.D,  son  of  Will- 
iam Roberts,  D.D.,  of  the  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church, 
New  York  City,  was  born  at  Holyhead,  Wales,  January 
31,  1844,  and  graduated  at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York  in  18G3  ;  from  1863-65  he  was  statistician.  Unite  d 
States  Treasury  Dcpartniont.  Washington,  D.  C.  ;  be  was 
assistant  librarian  of  Congress,  186G-72 ;  graduated  at 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  N.  J.,  1873;  pastor  at 
Cranford,  N.  J.,  1878-77;  from  1877-'86  librarian  of 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  ;  became  in  1886  Pro- 
fessor of  practical  theology  in  Lane  Theological  Sem,i- 
nary  [Presbyterian],  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  which  position  he 
occupied  until  1893 ;  1889-90  stated  supply  of  the  Sec- 
ond Presbyterian  Church,  Cincinnati,  and  also  acted  as 
supply  for  other  important  churches  ;  stated  clerk  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  since  1884.  In  1888  he  was 
unanimously  elected  by  the  London  Council  as  American 
secretary  of  the  "Alliance  of  the  Reformed  Churches 
throughout  the  World  holding  the  Presbyterian  System"  ; 
in  1891  he  was  moderator  of  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of 
Ohio;  and  in  1896  was  president  of  the  Sixth  PanPrcs- 
l)yterian  Council  held  at  Glasgow,  Scotluiul,  Dr.  Roberts 
also  acted  as  treasurer  of  the  Centennial  Fund  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  1883,  and  of  the  Anniversary 
Reunion  Fund  in  1896.  He  has  published  "Inaugural 
Address, "  Lane  Seminary,  1886;  "History  of  the  Prcs- 
i)yterian  Church,  United  States  of  America, "  1888  ;  "  Man- 
ual of  the  General  Assembly,  "  1694  ;  "  The  Presbytcrir.w 
System,  "  1895 ;  'vLar,-s  Relnting   to  Religious  Corpora- 


692  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

tions,  "  1896 ;  "  Manual  for  Ruling  Elders  and  Church 
Sessions,  "  1897,  besides  sermons  and  magazine  articles. 

ROWLANDS,  REV.  H.  O.,  D.D.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Waukesha,  Wis.,  and  spent  his  earlier  years  in  his 
native  State.  He  was  brought  up  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  but  when  quite  young  he  became  a  Baptist  and 
soon  gave  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  stud- 
ied in  Colgate  University,  taking  a  full  collegiate  and 
seminary  course. 

He  has  been  pastor  at  Whitesboro,  N.  Y.  ;  Oshkosh, 
Wis.  ;  also  in  Elgin,  111. ,  one  of  the  largest  churches  in 
the  West,  and  in  Chicago.  At  present  he  is  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  at  Lincoln,  Nebr. ,  a  noted  center 
of  colleges  and  education.  He  has  traveled  extensively, 
having  visited  the  continent  three  times,  spending  a  visit 
of  a  year  traveling  and  studying.  In  1888  he  followed 
Drs.  Armitage  and  Peddie  in  the  annual  "  theological 
lectures"  at  Colgate,  and  was  honored  the  same  year 
with  the  degree  of  D.D.  from  his  alma  mater. 

He  preaches  and  writes  fluently  in  the  Welsh  lan- 
guage, altho  he  never  has  been  the  pastor  of  a  Welsh 
congregation.  His  father's  brother,  Dr.  John  Row- 
lands, is  pastor  in  South  Wales  of  one  of  the  largest 
Welsh  Baptist  churches  in  the  world. 

SAMSON,  REV.  CALEB,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Anne 
(Rees),  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Henllan  Amgoed,  Car- 
marthenshire, South  Wales,  March  19,  1858,  and  spent 
his  early  years  on  a  farm.  He  commenced  to  preach 
when  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  at  St. 
Clears  and  New  Castle  Emlyn  grammar-schools,  and  at 
Bala  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  March,  1881. 
In  1884  he  came  to  America,  and  was  ordained  at  Gomer, 
Red  Oak,  Iowa,  November  30,  1884.  He  was  called  to 
the  pastorate  of  Oak  Hill  Welsh  Congregational  Church 
in  the  fall  of  1886,  which  he  retains  to-day. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  593 

THOMAS,  REV.  B.  D.,  D.D.,  was  born  near  Narbertb, 
Wales',  in  January,  1843,  in  a  farnibouse  bearing  tbe 
name  of  Blaeuffynnonne  (which  means  the  source  of 
the  wells) .  His  father,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Thomas,  was 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Narbcth  for  forty  years. 
Four  years  of  his  school  life  were  spent  at  Graig  House 
Academy,  Swansea,  Wales,  and  he  afterward  graduated 
at  Ilaverford,  West.  In  his  twentieth  year,  he  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  English  Baptist  Church  at 
Neath  Glamorganshire,  where  he  began  his  duties  in  Au- 
gust, 1862.  After  the  expiration  of  six  years  he  emi- 
grated to^America  and  was  immediately  asked  to  under- 
take the  "pastorate  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Pittston, 
Pa.  He  remained  there  for  a  period  of  two  years  and 
nine  months,  when  he  was  called  to  occupy  the  pulpit  of 
the  Fifth  Church  of  Philadelphia.  He  took  charge  in 
October,  1871,  being  at  that  time  the  youngest  pastor  in 
the  city.  The  church  had  a  membership  of  more  than 
seven  hundred,  and  a  Sabbath-school  of  over  a  thousand. 
Here  he  spent  eleven  years.  During  his  pastorate  a  mis- 
sion was  started,  which  developed  into  a  flourishing 
church  now  known  as  Trinity  Baptist  Church. 

On  July  23,  1882,  Dr.  Thomas  received  a  unanimous 
call  from  the  Jarvis  Street  Church,  Toronto,  Canada.  On 
October  8,  1882,  he  entered  upon  his  duties,  thus  begin- 
ning a  new  era  in  his  own  life,  which  has  been  richly 
blessed. 

WHITBY,  REV.  HENRY  J. ,  Ph.D. ,  was  born  in  Glamorgan- 
shire, South  Wales,  November  25,  1855,  and  educated  in 
the  daily  schools  of  his  native  town.  AVhen  nineteen  years 
of  age  he  began  to  prepare  for  the  ministry,  and  after 
two  years  of  preliminary  training  he  entered  Brecon 
Memorial  College,  graduating  four  years  later.  A  fur- 
ther study  of  three  years  at  Yale  Theological  Seminary 
qualified  him  as  a  Bachelor  of  Divinity.  Ilis  pastorates 
38 


594  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 

have  bean  Shamokin,  and  the  First  Congregationalist 
Church,  Pittston,  Pa.  For  the  past  nine  years  he  has 
been  in  charge  of  the  Second  Congregationalist  Church, 
Emporia,  Kansas. 

WILLIAMS,  REV.  J.  P.,  was  born  April  16,  1838,  at 
Dwygyfylchi,  Carnarvonshire,  North  "Wales,  his  pater- 
nal grandfather  being  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  of  that  place.  Mr.  Williams  was  re- 
ceived as  church-member  at  the  age  of  thirteen  by  the 
late  Rev.  E.  Stephens  (Tanymarian)  ;  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen he  removed  to  Brymbo,  near  Wrexham,  North 
Wales,  where,  two  years  later,  he  was  invited  by  the  pas- 
tor, the  Rev.  R.  Williams  (Hwfa  Mon)  and  the  church 
to  preach.  In  1859  he  entered  Bala  College  in  North 
Wales.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  accepted  a  call 
to  the  church  at  St.  Asaph,  Flintshire.  From  there  he 
removed  to  Merionethshire  to  take  the  oversight  of  Maen- 
twrrog  and  Utica.  In  June,  1870,  he  and  his  family  emi- 
grated to  America,  his  first  charge  being  Pomeroy  and 
Minersville,  Ohio.  While  he  and  his  family  were  pass- 
ing from  the  boat  to  the  dock  in  Pomeroy,  about  mid- 
night of  September  24,  1870,  Mrs.  Williams  slipped  and 
fell  into  the  river  and  was  drowned.  From  Pomeroy  he 
removed  to  Racine,  where  he  remained  for  thirteen  years. 
In  December,  1888,  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  Youngs- 
town,  Ohio ;  after  a  ministry  of  six  years  he  was  called 
to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  still  remains.  In  October, 
1871,  Mr.  Williams  was  married  to  Mrs.  Pryce,  of  Gomer, 
Ohio.  For  some  years  he  was  one  of  the  cooperating 
editors  of  the  Cenhadrus.  His  career  has  been  both  hon- 
orable and  successful, 

WILLIAMS,  REV.  OWEN  A.,  M.A.,  D.D.,  was  born  In 
the  parish  of  Dolbenmaen,  Carnarvonshire,  North  Wales. 
March  25,  1837.     He  left  his  native  country  for  America 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  595 

at  the  age  of  twenty.  Soon  afterward  he  began  hla 
course  of  education  at  Madison — now  Colgate — Univer- 
sity, graduating  there  from  college  in  1863  and  from  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  1865.  He  was  ordained  the 
same  year  in  Mount  Vermon,  N.  Y.,  where  ho  remained 
as  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  until  1874.  In  1875  he 
moved  to  the  West  and  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Nebraska  City,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years.  Duty  called  him  to  Galesburg,  111., 
where  he  served  the  First  Baptist  Church  for  nearly  six 
years.  In  1886  he  returned  to  Nebraska  in  response  to 
a  call  from  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Lincoln,  which 
he  served  for  eight  years.  In  1894  he  was  chosen  by  the 
Board  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  to 
superintend  the  work  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  district, 
in  which  work  he  is  engaged  at  the  present  time,  with 
headquarters  at  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


